The Complete Package
by SRAM
Summary: This story occurs after episode 6.08. Penny has job, career, and self worth problems, plus she needs to consider where her and Leonards relationsship is going. My first fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

Penny signs the ticket book and hands it back to the police officer, standing along side her car. She thinks 'Great another bill I can't pay for'.

Officer Carol takes a long look at her, then tears out the ticket, "Miss you need to pay attention to stop signs when you drive. If someone was going across the other way you would have had a very serious accident.", he then hands Penny the ticket.

Penny sighs and almost whispering tells him "I'm sorry officer, I will be more careful the next time". He sees she is almost crying so he tells her to "Have a nice day" and figures it is best to leave quickly. Penny watches him walk to the car and waits till the police car has left before she resumes her way back to the apartment, trying to drive more slowly and alert as she can with tears in her eyes.

Penny had been going over her situation in her head since she had left work. This last week had been a real bad one for her and in reality the week before hadn't been much different. Business was real slow at the Cheesecake Factory and her tips had been horrible, so her weekly income had been half of the little she usually got. When she thought of her acting career, that was also nothing but failure too. She paid for acting lessons and couldn't get a job, which just contributed to her negative cash flow. Penny had been going over her expenses, in her head, and comparing them to the money she made and she saw no hope for getting her pay and expenses even close to lining up. She couldn't support herself and she felt like a failure again. The last straw was today's shift when she was sent home early, just after lunch, when she really needed the money from working the dinner shift. She was upset and distracted, when she ran the stop sign, trying to figure out how she was going to pay bills.

She reached her apartment building, slowly going in, her mind on autopilot. Stopping to get her mail, on the way up the stairs, the mail woke her from her trance when she saw credit car bills and the letter from her college. The college letter was specifically letting her know her student loan was disapproved (because of bad credit) and therefore she needed to pay her tuition immediately. The additional weight of these financial responsibilities made the walk up the stairs seem long and tiring, especially since at each landing she had to look at the broken elevator door and its out of order sign. She knew Leonard was responsible for the broken elevator and she silently cursed 'Damm you Leonard' as she kept hiking up to her apartment, not really understanding why it bothered her anymore today than before, but so was the state her mind was in.

She made it to the fourth floor, more tired that she could remember, unlocked her door and was almost in her apartment, with the door closed, when the apartment door across the hall opened and out walked Leonard. He looked over at her confused and concerned, "Penny"? "You're home early." All she could think of was 'Great!'

All she could say was "Yeah" , as she didn't bother closing her door and just walked over to her small kitchen to find the wine bottle she kept there. She poured a quick glass and downed it , all before Leonard walked through her apartment door. She signed and looked at the door, it didn't matter if she had closed it or not, Leonard would have still insisted on coming in and talking and she didn't want to have an argument with him now. Why did he have to see her now, she thought, why couldn't she have sneaked into her apartment and talked to him later, when she knew what she was going to do. All she could think of was 'Not Now Leonard'.

Leonard was looking at her, concern on his face, and she knew her tear stained makeup and tears, still fresh on her face, were bothering him because he asked, "Penny what happened! Are you alright?" Again, she didn't know what to say and just watched his face become even more concerned, if that was possible. She must watched him for a long time, even though it was really only a second or two, until he was about to talk again. She couldn't tell him her financial problems because every time she thought of them she felt like a loser and it made her feel stupid in front of him. So she lied.

"I had a bad time at work with customers, so I asked and got the rest of the day off", it just came out, she didn't even remember planning to say it.

She just watched him and saw his face change from fear and confusion to compassion, but she really didn't want him to feel sorry for her, pity her, have empathy for the loser who failed as an actress and now couldn't even support herself. She wanted be alone, no she really didn't know what she wanted, maybe just to cry, but he wanted to talk, why did we have to talk, now. So she then she got a little idea to give him some truth hoping it would end his questions

"I was feeling a little down and on the way home and I got a traffic ticket, so I just began crying, that's all."

She really hadn't given him much information, so Leonard wasn't sure what to say next so he said the first thing that came to mind: "Penny, everything will be OK."

Again, all she could do is look at him, 'No its not going to be OK, Leonard' she thought.

Leonard, being Leonard, just wanted to help her, "I love you, Penny, is there anything I can do to help you through this?" he said with a sympathetic small smile.

Penny was impatient, tired and really didn't want to talk, and she didn't want Leonard's help right now, so she just finished her second glass of wine and poured the third, to stall answering him. All her life whenever she got really scared, really felt helpless, she would use anger to regain control of the situation, it was in a way so natural for her, she didn't even realize it was happening and again like many times before the wine wasn't helping, she was getting angry. When she was angry, Leonard paid the price.

But for the first time, she looked at him and thought, 'I love you, too' and her temper was held in check and she decided to talk to him, a little, instead of just getting mad.

"Leonard, I really need to be alone for a little bit and sort things out, OK, please honey, if you love me, just let me be alone for a little bit" she pleaded with him.

He stares at her and starts to speak but stops, thinks about it then nods. "OK, you want come over and eat Chinese with us at six thirty?"

Penny gives him a small smile, 'Thank you, you said the right thing' she thinks and tells him "Yes, see you then."

Leonard turns and walks out, closing the door behind him, careful to not let Penny see he is unhappy about their conversation, because he knows she is holding something back, and he is still concerned about her.

Leonard is now gone and all is quiet again, Penny looks at the wine bottle, had she really just drank half of it? Suddenly all the stress that has built up in her that day, plus the wine, hits her and makes her sick to her stomach. Penny runs to bathroom and throws up. Surprisingly, just as suddenly, after she empties her stomach, she feels a little better, and when rinsing out her mouth, she sees herself in the mirror realizing what a sight Leonard must have seen when he looked at her. She stares at herself, sighs, and even though it was only two in the afternoon, Penny is tired. She walks to her bed, falls in and is asleep almost immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Almost four hours later, Penny awakes to find it dark. She panics thinking it was already night, but slowly realizes it is January and it gets dark early, so it might not be too late. Looking at her clock, she realizes that she still has 45 minutes before she promised to go across the hall. She lays there deciding if she would keep her promise to Leonard, to come over, or disappoint him again by not showing up. She signs, it always made her feel bad to hurt Leonard, every time she did it, but usually the hurt came after she had done the damage to him and she hates herself for it. She thinks again about her money problem and still doesn't want to talk to anyone about it but she can't think what she can do about it. She gives up and realizes that there is nothing she can do about anything at the moment and staying home alone all tonight is as about as horrible a way to spend the evening she can think about. She had promised Leonard she would come and since she really didn't want to spend the evening alone at home, especially since she had no food in her apartment and she was actually hungry, so like Sheldon would say it is only logical she go over. The decision made, she gets up to shower and put on a clean set of sweats.

6:25 PM, Penny is dressed and ready, so she opens her apartment door and heads across the hall, not without a little bit of nervousness, but determined to eat, relax, and just seek the companionship of her friends. Walking through the guys door, she immediately feels some comfort of being in the familiar place, with the people who she has called friends the last few years and has grown to love. Sheldon, as always, is in his spot, talking to Amy, who like during most of her visits to the apartment, is sitting next to him on his right. Howard is next to Amy, well really Howard and Bernadette are next to Amy, because the petite blonde is in her husbands lap at the moment. Raj, of course, is in a chair next to Howard in a position so he can have an ear to whisper into, in case he has something important to say. The chair to the left of Sheldon is empty because Leonard and/or Penny sit there, so she just walks over and sits down because that is their place.

"Leonard just called and he has left the restaurant with the food, so he should be here in about ten minutes" Amy tells her as she sits down, because her friends know her and understand the first question out of her mouth would be 'Where's Leonard'. Penny nods and smiles to Amy and then just sits back and listens to her friends discuss their day, science and other specific topics she has never heard before or doesn't understand. Their conversations give Penny a warm feeling inside, and she sort of zones out just enjoying her friends presence, smiling and nodding at appropriate times, until she notices Bernadette taking short looks at her, when she is not talking to someone.

Bernadette's looks make Penny realize she has not said a word since entering the guys apartment, so she quickly stands up "I'm getting a drink. Anyone want anything? Raj how about a beer?" In response she gets "NOs", an "I'm OK", and a thumbs up and smile from Raj, so she heads to the fridge and out of Bernadette's questioning eye contact.

Opening the fridge, Penny grabs a bottle of beer and bottle of fruit drink, of the kind she likes and that Leonard always seems to have in the fridge for her. Putting the drinks on the counter, so she can grab the bottle opener for Raj's beer, she stops when she hears tapping on the apartment door.

She hears "A little help" from Leonard and Raj jumps up to open the door so Leonard, both hands full of take out bags, can come in with the groups evening meal.

"You going to make it, bud?" Howard says as he starts to get up.

"No, I got it, just a few more feet to the table" Leonard responds with a chuckle

Penny notices his smile as he comes in and sees all his friends, then notices it diminish as he sees his empty chair next to Sheldon. His slight change of expression, tugs at her heart because she knows his sudden sadness is because he doesn't see her, so she quickly puts the bottle opener to the beer bottle and pops the cap off as loud as she can. The effect she was hoping for is very evident when he turns his head to see her, and his smile relights on his face. She then opens the fridge to get his favorite soft drink and joins her friends to divide up the food.

The next twenty minutes talk was sporadic as everyone ate and Penny just enjoyed eating and listening to her friends. She felt starved and everything actually tasted great, even though Sheldon complained it wasn't their usual restaurant and they would probably be sorry they changed their normal Friday meal routine. Bernadette kept looking at Penny every so often, while they ate, and Penny knew her friend knew something was up, but she never said a thing which Penny loved her for.

Leonard silently ate next to Penny trying to figure out what was wrong. When he came in and saw her at the counter, he thought everything was OK, but even as soon as she started eating he knew she was still troubled. He just wished he knew what to do or what to say. Whatever was bothering her, she had pleaded with him not to discuss it and he promised himself when he left her apartment that he wouldn't push it with her, but it was driving him crazy not being able to help.

Sheldon finished his food and started to express how wonderful it was that all the guys had the weekend off and all the things they could catch up on. Bernadette and Amy both complained that this was the only weekend they had completely off in a while too, obviously hinting that they wanted to spend time with their men, which Sheldon just ignored.

"We can meet at my apartment at 9AM tomorrow and get to the comic book store when Stuart opens. That will give us plenty of time to be at the Park for a spirited combat kite match. Then we can top off the evening with an all evening session of HALO." Sheldon droned on, not even noticing his friend sighs.

Howard quickly spoke after Sheldon took a breath, "Sheldon, I can't play HALO with you tomorrow, because I have a date with Bernadette tomorrow night" while he smiled at his petite bride.

Bernadette was shocked to hear this, 'What Date?' she thought, but outwardly she smiled and told Sheldon "That's right."

"But you can't, we need four people for HALO! And besides you're married, you can do that anytime!" Sheldon protested

"Sheldon, me and Bernie have planned this for weeks, I can't play HALO!" Howard replied with conviction, again surprising Bernadette.

Bernadette just looked at Sheldon and said "Yep, weeks" and thought 'Howard, you just earned yourself a get out of the doghouse card for future use, sweetie'.

Leonard watched this exchange with slight amusement, still concentrating on Penny's depressed mood. Why was she so down, she seems so worn out today and down in the dumps. She has been working a lot the last few weeks, he thought, maybe she is sort of burnt out. He sat and wondered what he could do to get her spirits up.

Sheldon was stumped for about 10 seconds before he brightened up and looks at Penny. "Penny you are off this weekend, would you like to join us in a lively HALO game tomorrow evening. The evening is shaping up to be quite a hoot and you can even team up with your favorite boy toy if you like!"

Penny feels everyone's eyes on her, she has to say something, alright she was silly thinking she could just sit there all night and not say something "I can't Sheldon."

Leonard picks up on her response and knows this is the last thing she wants to do. He has been with her long enough to hear the slight sadness in her voice and makes him want to do something even more to make her happy. Then it hits him, everyone has the whole weekend off, even Penny!

Sheldon looks at Penny "Why Not!"

Penny just looks at Sheldon, and suddenly Leonard speaks, to Penny's relief "Guys do you realize this is the first weekend in ages we all have had off!" He waits for it to sink in before he continues.

When they all nod, except Sheldon who knows he is not going to like what Leonard has to say, Leonard continues "We need to do something special that we all can do and have some fun!" there it is, Sheldon knew Leonard was going to suggest something he didn't like.

Leonard sees everyone but Sheldon and Penny smile, but he can tell Penny is interested in what he is saying so at least he is making progress with her. Leonard then looks at Raj and gives him a smile. Raj gets a big smile on his face as he gets Leonard's idea.

"Vegas, Baby!" Raj shouts with a huge smile that gradually spreads to almost everyone's face as each of the gang warms to the plan. Penny even gives Leonard a inquisitive look, which he assumes is a good sign from her about his idea. Only Sheldon's face shows he is totally against Leonard's idea.

"No Leonard, that will ruin HALO night and you know how I dislike places like that!" he states with some authority.

The mood of the room drops, but suddenly Amy moves closer to Sheldon and starts to whisper in his ear. She stays like that for almost a minute, all the time Sheldon's expression softening until even a small smile forms, confusing the group. When Amy is done, Sheldon nods to her obviously having a change of mind.

Sheldon looks around as says "Well if we are going to go we will need to make reservations in the next hour, pack and get some sleep, so we can start off at 7 AM tomorrow." To the shock of the entire group.

The shock wears off quickly as everyone gets excited and starts to put plans together. Sheldon immediately gets online and offers to make hotel reservations at a nice casino for everyone, but Howard quietly declines, asking what casino, and states he will make his own reservations, so Sheldon gets a room for Penny and Leonard and a two room suite for him and Amy.

Everything happened so fast, Penny finally looks over at Leonard with a look of 'I don't know' but before she can say anything, Leonard says "Come on Penny, It will be fun and you need to get away, from everything".

She thinks about it and quickly sees he is right and with a small smile says "OK".

For the next hour, plans are made and times set for the trip tomorrow. Everyone then leaves to go home, pack and to get to bed early for their big adventure. Penny heads over to her apartment to pick out clothes, pack and think. It takes her only a few minutes to realize that there is nothing she could do this weekend to fix her financial situation, so going to Las Vegas and maybe having some fun couldn't do any harm. So she allows herself a little happiness and becomes a little excited about tomorrows trip.

Howard and Bernadette walk down the stairs to their car with Amy close behind. At the ground level floor just before they walk out the door, Howard stops and looks at Amy.

"I need to know, what did you say to Sheldon to make him change his mind?"

Amy just gives Howard a small smile "Last year I bought him a special train engine on the internet from this large model train warehouse that also sells locally in the city it is located in. I just reminded him that the train warehouse is in Las Vegas and if we get there before dinner we can go there for him to shop."

Howard just stood there in shock "Amy you're a genius!"

Bernadette smiled, gave Amy a hug and told her "Amy you drive carefully" and both told her "See you tomorrow"

Howard and Bernadette make their way home, with Bernadette thinking about the events of the night. Looking at Howard "How was Leonard today? Did he seem off?"

Howard looks at her with surprise "Leonard was fine. His work is caught up and he was happy, like the rest of us, because we only had a half day today."

Bernadette sat there in thought "Then it is Penny."

"Penny!" Howard is now completely confused

Bernadette then looks at Howard and smiles "Nothing Honey, just girl stuff." and she makes a mental note to confront Penny if she continues to act strange during the weekend. She continues to look at Howard and remembers how he acted tonight, "Howie, we didn't have any plans this weekend. You lied to Sheldon!"

"Yeah, I know, but I haven't seen you much the last few weeks, because you were working so much, and I …just missed you" he said quietly

Bernadette's heart skipped a beat, "Oh Howie, that is so sweet" she never realized she would continue to be more and more in love with him as their life together went on, he was so amazing. The rest of the trip home she just rubbed his shoulder, neck and ran her hand through his hair as he drove, just for the feeling of touching the man she loved so much. She smiled to herself because she knew after they packed and got ready for bed, she was going to be all over him and she was determined to rock his world.

Penny was able to pack and get ready for bed in only an hour, which was quick for her, but understandable based on how she was feeling. After she went to bed she just laid there unable to sleep, the room seeming large and cold. Penny felt lonely and she couldn't sleep feeling this way and she knew why, she was still stressed and needed Leonard to hold her, just hold her. She wanted him with her bad, so she took her phone off the nightstand and just text'd him 'Will you spend the night with me?'

Leonard had packed, got ready for bed and was just turning out the lights in the apartment when he heard his phone buzz for a text. He read the text and knew Penny got lonely when she was sad, so he just text'd her 'OK', got his robe, picked up her key on the way out and headed to her apartment. Leonard entered Penny's apartment and walked straight to her bedroom, slid into her bed and put his arms around her. He didn't say a word and had planned on not saying anything, unless she did, because he knew she wanted him for comfort but probably wasn't ready to talk yet. He just held her, and felt her snuggle up as close as she could get, and he was content with that. Penny felt so warm and secure in Leonard's arms, it was like she fit him perfectly, she fell asleep shortly after his arms wrapped around her. Her last thoughts were how good he had been all day and night for her and how she loved him for being so considerate of her feelings. 'Leonard is a great guy' was her last thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Penny was asleep, her mind dreaming something she would not remember, when, in her dream, she started to hear the soft whispers of "Penny, Penny, time to wake up". Her still asleep mind then thought she felt something soft against her ear and warm breathe against her skin. Slowly she started to wake up to the voice beckoning her and the touch of his cheek against hers. As her mind adjusted to being awake she realized she was in Leonard's arms and he was waking her up, so she did what she normally did, when she didn't want to get up early, she pushed closer to him and whispered "Five more minutes."

Leonard just smiled, "Penny, you need to get up and we really need to get ready or Sheldon is going to make our lives miserable, if we are late."

She rolled over till she was facing him and then put her arm around him and tucked her head where his neck was, burying her face. All he heard was a muffled "OK". She was warm, still sleepy and perfectly content in the spot she was in.

Leonard hated to use drastic measures but she had to get up. He wiggled out of her grasp, got out of bed and took the covers with him.

Penny lay there with her eyes still closed and her left arm reaching trying to find the covers. Finally having no success and feeling cold, she opened her eyes and slowly made her way to the edge of the bed to sit and wake up.

Leonard put her robe over her shoulders and softly spoke "We need to get ready, we have to be down at the cars by 7 AM."

She groaned her understanding, slowly stood and headed to the bathroom.

Leonard felt sorry for her whenever she looked so tired, but they did have to get ready, so before she made it into the bathroom he told her "OK, I'm going across the hall go get ready. See you in a bit."

He put his robe on and left for his apartment, she listened for the door to close and suddenly felt a little lonely, but that only lasted a moment because she knew as soon as she got ready she would have him to herself for the next two days and that made her content again. She had a brief thought about her financial situation again, but she had already decided there was nothing about it she could do this weekend. She was a little excited about the trip, she was taking with her friends, so she just decided to ignore it for the weekend.

Leonard entered his apartment to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. He smiled, remembering he had set of the coffee pot to brew about this time. He grabbed two cups and fixed one the way Penny liked, then one for him. He quickly went back over to Penny's with the cup for her so he could get there before she got into the shower.

Penny heard her door open and heard Leonard say "Penny" to let her know it was him. He entered her bedroom and went right to the bathroom to put a fresh hot cup of coffee in her hands. She took it with gratitude because she really needed coffee this morning. Leonard always had the best coffee and he fixed it just the way she liked and he knew how she liked to have a cup first thing in the morning. She took the cup in her hands, smelled the aroma, took a sip and gave him a smile "Thank you, this is just what I needed."

He gave her a big smile "Your welcome, I'll see you in about 30 minutes" and left.

Twenty eight minutes later Leonard turned in surprise as Penny walked into his apartment pulling her roller suitcase with a small bag on her shoulder. Penny was hardly ever on time so he thought this was a good sign that she was excited about this trip, and this just gave Leonard a good feeling inside.

"Hey Love Bug, looks like you are ready and a little bit early, too." he said. She was so beautiful he thought and seeing her give him a little smile, like she was now, just made his heart leap in his chest.

Penny then gave him a fake hurt look "See you could have given me five more minutes." She then gave him a big yawn and continued "Where is our trip commander, captain, leader or whatever?"

Leonard looked back at Sheldon's bedroom door "He is loading the latest traffic hazard notifications into his laptop for the trip." "Why don't we head downstairs, he'll be along shortly." Then back towards Sheldon's door he yelled "Sheldon, Penny and I are heading downstairs to wait for Howard, Bernadette and Amy."

A muffled "All right" was heard from Sheldon's room in acknowledgement, so Penny and Leonard opened the apartment door and headed downstairs.

Leonard and Penny's timing was right on today because no sooner that they came out the door of the apartment building then Howard and Bernadette pulled up to the curb. Howard jumped out of the car and opened the trunk so Leonard could load their bags into the back, while Penny and Bernadette gave each other a hug and started talking. Leonard, Penny, Howard and Bernadette stood at the curb and talked till Amy arrived a short time later.

Amy had just gotten out of her car when Sheldon appeared, squeezing through the apartment building door, with his luggage and trip aids. Seeing the group, Sheldon suddenly looked upset.

"Where is Raj and Stuart?", Sheldon demanded.

Leonard was about to tell Sheldon, sarcastically that it wasn't his turn to watch them, when they all heard a horn and saw Raj's car going in the driveway leading to the apartments parking in the rear. A very short time later, Raj and Stuart came strolling up, with their luggage.

"You're late." was the only greeting Sheldon offered, before he loaded his luggage and got in Amy's car. Leonard looked at Raj and Stuart and just shook his heard. Raj just shrugged, then him and Stuart loaded their bags into Amy's car and got into the back seat. Amy just looked at Bernadette and Penny, with a look of despair, and started to get into her car.

"Don't worry Amy, we are going play musical cars before we get to Barstow." Bernadette told her and they saw a little smile form on Amy's face before she disappeared into her car.

The two car convoy made its way down the streets of Pasadena to get on I-210 to I-15, their main route to Las Vegas. The traffic on I-210 was quite heavy so little talking was done to allow Howard to keep his full attention on the road. Penny and Leonard just sat in the back seat with Penny catching a nap against Leonard's shoulder for this part of the trip. Leonard hardly got to ride as a passenger in the car, he usually was the driver, and being with Penny in the back seat was a very pleasant way to travel for him. Her pressed in close to him and sleeping made him very content and he ended up dozing a short time with her.

Bernadette sat in the passenger seat nervously watching Howard trying not to get everyone killed on this wonderful Saturday morning. She had never had to drive this route on a Saturday morning and so was shocked by the morning traffic. Time moved slowly for her and she just sat there, not wanting to say anything to distract Howard, but biting her lip hoping they would get out this traffic soon.

Ten miles after they transitioned from I-210 to I-15 traffic went back to a more normal flow of long distance travelers, many who were probably going to Las Vegas like them. Howard and Bernadette started to talk more now, which brought Penny and Leonard back from their short naps.

Bernadette asked "Have you been to Las Vegas before Penny?"

"I went there once with my old boyfriend, Kurt." She felt Leonard slightly tense beside her and immediately regretted saying Kurt's name. She decided to choose her words with more care because she really didn't want Leonard to feel bad, especially this weekend. She also made sure she wasn't going to let anything slip about how Kurt, coming back late to their room that trip, had very rough drunken sex with her. She thought 'That night he had made her feel like just a piece of meat and it was one of the reasons she left him a couple of months later.'

Now more cautious she continued, "We went one weekend, and as soon as we got there he went to the casino to gamble. I basically just had to watch him and try to get all the free drinks I could to get over the boredom. After a couple of hours I was too blitzed to care and went back to the room to crash till we left in the morning. Oh yeah, the ass also borrowed money from me in the morning so we would buy gas to get home. So from then on I just thought Las Vegas was just a stupid place and never wanted to go back." She looked at Leonard and he looked sort of strange. Bernadette was just staring at her too. Oh Shit, she thought, they probably think I didn't want to go with them. Think Penny, think. She didn't know what to say.

"I didn't know that Penny, I … I wouldn't have mentioned it last night and forced you to go." Leonard barely got out of his mouth. Bernadette was giving a sympathetic look now.

Penny felt like crap, she should have kept her mouth shut, she was hurting Leonard and her friends feelings, thinking that she didn't want to be here with them. Seconds ticked by and no one said anything because no one knew what to say.

Penny then took Leonard's hand in hers "Sweetie, Kurt treated me like shit and he made Las Vegas look horrible. I knew going with you guys there would be different and fun because we always have fun together, that is why I wanted to go, and still do." Thank God, Leonard and Bernadette now had small smiles now on their faces. 'Why am I such a dumbass', she thought.

Bernadette saw the relief on Penny's face after Leonard smiled, so she quickly asked Leonard if he had gone to Las Vegas to get the spotlight off Penny.

"Leonard have you ever been to Las Vegas before?" she asked him

"Yeah, I went there once before with Howard and Raj. We went overnight like we are doing now, to sort of wind down from being in a rut dealing with Sheldon's schedules all the time. Penny you remember, Sheldon spent the night with you."

It came back to Penny "How can I forget that, I had to give up my bed and sleep on the couch because of Dr Wack-a-doddle."

Howard listen to Leonard till he was done and thought 'Thank you Leonard, for not mentioning the hooker.' He had confessed all his hooker hook ups to Bernadette before the wedding but he didn't want her reminded and ruining this weekend.

Howard decided to get the topic far away from him "Honey, we have all been there, but have you ever been to Las Vegas?"

"I went after I completed my Masters with a bunch of grad students in my class. We ended up gambling a little, getting drunk and sleeping it off, then leaving. We were so happy to graduate that was a bunch of fun for us then." She was not going to mention that they all ended in one room, guys and girls, next morning.

They continued to talk small talk for the next few minutes, Howard told some jokes and some were even funny. Then as they approached Victorville, the hand held radio Sheldon gave them came to life.

"Red 1 to Red 2, radio check." Sheldon transmitted

Penny checked her smart phone then grabbed the hand held radio. "Red 2 to Red 1, be advised we will being detouring on to Roy Rogers Drive in ten minutes for a latte break at Starbucks." Bernadette looked at Penny, smiled and Penny gave her a wink.

Sheldon's next transmission came back with authority "Negative Red 2, that is not on the route plan and the only allowed stop is in Barstow."

Sheldon figured he put a stop to this mutiny until he heard "Amy, take a left at the exit, go under bridge and the Starbucks is two blocks down on the right. Red 2 out."

Sheldon looked at Amy in disbelief. Amy just gave him a smile.

"Sheldon, we can either take a few minutes and follow them to get coffee or drive on to Las Vegas alone." she said matter of factly to him.

"That is unacceptable, she cannot do that, I am trip commander." he said affronted by this challenge of his authority.

Amy just looked at him an signed, "Sheldon you have know Penny for about six years, what do you know she will do and what do you want me to do?"

Sheldon waited, leaning against the car in front of Starbucks. He was mad at Penny of course, she had already put them 20 minutes behind schedule and she was still not out of the coffee shop with her band of mutineers. This was unacceptable, completely unacceptable and when they got home he planned on banding her from his apartment for a week or maybe two.

Penny, Bernadette, Howard, Leonard, Raj, Stuart and Amy all came out of the Starbucks with assorted drinks and some pastries, smiling and talking to each other. When they got to the very upset Sheldon, Penny was the spokesman for the girls.

"Sheldon, you Raj and Stuart are going to ride in Bernadette's car and us girls are going to ride in Amy's car till we get to the Barstow break." Penny told him as her and the girls walked over to Amy's car and got in.

Before he could say anything Sheldon saw the brake lights flash as Amy put the car in gear and started to drive off. Leonard and Howard had known this was coming so had went to Bernadette's car and were just getting in when Sheldon finally spoke, "What are they doing?"

Leonard just stated. "Leaving." and got in the back seat. Stuart and Raj got in the back too, leaving Sheldon still standing on the sidewalk, bewildered.

"Are you coming?" Howard yelled, forcing Sheldon to get in the car before he was left behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sheldon was still standing on the curb oblivious to anything but Amy's car driving off in front him. Howard was getting impatient with him, so he started the engine and revved it a little louder that normal, which, like he hoped, broke Sheldon from his trance. Sheldon immediately got in the car and no sooner than he had the door close, Howard took off in pursuit of the girls.

The girls were having a giggle fit, even Amy, who was worried at first, was now caught up in the giggling. Penny had tears in her eyes, she was so tickled about the whole situation.

Bernadette between giggling and breathing finally said "You know Sheldon is going to make us pay for this."

But instead of them worrying they all started to laugh harder. Penny loved them, she loved all of them. She had never had friends like these before, people she knew cared about her and that she cared so much about.

Finally the girls started to calm down and passed tissues to each other to dry their eyes. As Amy started to think normally again, she realized, that they still were radio connected to Sheldon so this probably was not over, and she wondered how Penny would handle Sheldon's next salvo of indignation over this escapade. Bernadette must have thought the same thing.

"Well we should be hearing from Sheldon any minute, now." Bernadette said as she thought about the radio.

Penny just got an evil little grin on her face.

Sheldon had sat quietly, while they drove to get back on the interstate, his superior bio-computer of a brain listing each of the options he had, to take back control of the situation he was now finding himself in. By the time they had gone a mile, after getting back on I-15, he had what he thought to be a full proof plan to regain the situation from Penny. With a small smile he picked up the radio, "Red 1 to Red 2, Penny", then his plan just suddenly fell apart with that short transmission, because he immediately heard the receiving radio play his transmission from under a napkin laying on the floor of his car. Leonard lost it, Howard tried not to laugh but failed, Stuart had a look of surprise on his face and Raj just smiled.

Sheldon was obsessed. He pulled out his phone and was about to call Amy, then realized she was driving so couldn't answer her phone. 'Very well' he thought 'I will just call the source of this problem, PENNY!' so he hit her speed dial number and waited.

Penny felt her phone vibrate, knowing before looking that it was Sheldon, and after visually confirming it was Dr Wack-a-doodle, she hit a button on her phone sending him to voice mail hell. She smiled to herself thinking what Sheldon must look like right now and thought, 'Checkmate Dr Cooper'.

As soon as Sheldon heard Penny's voice mail greeting, he ended the call. Calling Bernadette was useless, because she liked everyone and would only be a follower in Penny's grand plan to make his life miserable. Outside of asking Howard to force the other car off the road to a stop (which of course he would never do), Sheldon could think of no way to get this mutiny under control, so he resigned himself to planning his next move. The rest of the guys ended up really enjoying the ride to Barstow, because Sheldon just sat quietly during the whole trip there.

Amy and Bernadette waited for something to happen, while Penny knew she had won this battle with Sheldon. After nothing happened for ten minutes they all just started to talk. Since this confrontation happen with Sheldon, Amy had her boyfriend first in her mind and began by discussing their relationship as she had done many times before with her friends.

"Sheldon has been acting a little weird lately, not bad weird, good weird." Amy began.

"Good weird?" Bernadette asked

"Yes, he has been acting slightly more non Sheldon the last few weeks." Amy stated.

"How?" Penny's curiosity now getting the better of her.

"I don't have to ask him anymore to hold hands, I just have to put my hand close to his and when they touch, he just holds it. When I lean against him, he doesn't pull away. But those are not the best things, sometimes when we depart each others company, and no one is looking, I give him a kiss on the cheek and he just accepts it without lecturing me." Amy just smiled remembering every time one of these actions had occurred.

Bernadette smiled and let out a giggle, "Amy, Dr Sheldon Cooper really likes you, a lot!" she continued' "how are all these changes in Sheldon fitting into your plan?"

"Well actually, these new actions by Sheldon put him slightly ahead in my plan and moves us 6 months closer to a more intimate relationship." she stated with a smile.

Penny thought of Amy's and Sheldon's relationship and chuckled, because Amy was hinting at sex. Amy was perfect for Sheldon, it was obvious she loved him, and would put up with his quirks, forever. To Amy she said, "Amy you are a Saint." All three girls chuckled to her statement, knowing how true her statement was.

Penny then suddenly thought 'Should she tell them about her financial situation, after all they are her friends', but in sitting there thinking about it she decided 'They would only try to give me money and I don't want that, so no I won't bring it up.'

Bernadette watched as Penny got quiet and her far off stare took over her features. She knew and saw Penny act like this before, just last night, something was troubling her. The last time she acted like this was six months before, when she thought she needed to break up with Leonard. Their relationship seemed fine but was she thinking of breaking up with him again? She remembered Leonard seemed not himself last night either, maybe things were going down hill for them.

"Penny is everything OK?" Bernadette asked.

Penny was startled, so was Amy, by Bernadette's abrupt question, and all Penny could say "Yeah, why?"

"You seem a little preoccupied, are things OK with you and Leonard?" there Bernadette said it.

Penny thought 'No, things suck, I don't have any money, and I don't know what to do, Leonard wants to help, but he'll end up paying my bills, and I can't stand being such a failure.' She saw Bernadette staring at her, and she felt like crying, but she held it together.

"Leonard and I just had a little disagreement yesterday afternoon and I think he suggested this trip to get our minds off it. No big thing." 'it really isn't a lie, is it' Penny thought.

Bernadette just looked at Penny for a second and decided to drop it, because she saw that Penny was done talking about it, by her tone. "Oh, OK, hope everything works out for you two."

"Everything is going to be, OK." Penny responded, though she didn't really believe it. What Bernadette didn't know was that Penny was only talking about her financial situation. Leonard and her were doing fine, even good.

The rest of the trip to Barstow the girls just made small talk, and Bernadette kept her thoughts to herself. She hoped for the best, but right now she didn't see things going good for Penny and Leonard and she wondered what this trip would do for them. One thing she knew, because of her talking to her husband, that Penny probably didn't know, Leonard had taken their previous break up really hard, harder than she realized, and would not take another well at all. Howard had told her that if it happened again, Leonard would be completely devastated, it would probably not only be the end of them as a couple, but also as friends.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The arrival at the Barstow Big Boy was anticlimactic compared to Victorville. The girls arrived first, found a parking spot, out front, and almost immediately, were in the Big Boy waiting for a table. The guys had no such luck, having to park in back, and ending up entering the Big Boy after the girls had already been seated. Penny and Amy were relieved because Sheldon would probably not make a really big scene in the Big Boy, so hopefully they could get him under control before they left.

Penny thought she could get defuse him, if she spoke first. "Sheldon, before you get mad, you know we girls like to talk and do 'hippy-dippy' stuff together, so you can't blame us for wanting to be in the same car together."

"Penny," he said between clenched teeth, "What you did was completely unauthorized and violated the rules I set forth for this trip!"

Before he finished she spoke, "You're right Sheldon, what is my punishment?"

By now the waitress had arrived and was watching his short exchange with Penny. The rest of the group was also looking at Sheldon for his reply. Sheldon had not expected Penny to admit she was wrong and ask for her punishment, she had ruined the 15 minute lecture he had prepared for her, in his mind, and now he was at a loss for words. Sheldon just looked at his friends at the table and them up at the waitress with a distressed expression on his face.

"I'll have a Big Boy, condiments on the side, and a chocolate milk." he said. Everyone then joined in and gave the waitress their orders, except Raj, who Stuart order for him.

After the waitress left with their orders, their table was cloaked in silence, painful silence. Everyone was nervous about what to say, they were afraid to set Sheldon off. The waitress came back quickly with their drinks, to their relief, and again everyone sat in silence but at least they had something to drink.

Leonard finally broke the ice. "Sheldon, want is next on our trip?" he said with a smile.

Sheldon returned to being Sheldon, "We are behind schedule by 30-minutes." giving Penny a disgusted look. "If we eat, take our bathroom breaks and leave within the planned hour we will still arrive within our allocated time slot of our trip, since I planned for unforeseen problems." again he looked at Penny. Penny tried not to laugh, it was hard.

Sheldon then stated, "There will be some car changes to prevent further delay. Amy and I will ride with Howard and Bernadette, therefore the rest of you will ride in the second car. Also, since you lost it, I am giving you back your radio." He then gave the radio to Leonard.

Howard groaned, Raj signed, Leonard shook his head and Penny rolled her eyes. Sheldon watched Penny then stated, "Don't roll your eyes at me Penny, this is all your fault!" This was Penny's punishment, to isolate her from the girls, so she would cause no more trouble. Also, Sheldon told them that Amy would only trust Leonard to drive her car, so he robbed Penny of being able to cuddle up to Leonard, in the backseat, for the rest of the trip, too. She signed.

Their meals arrived and they ate in relative quiet, everyone perturbed with Sheldon, even Amy. Their subdued moods continued through the break and when they started on the road again, everyone felt full and tired. By the time they were 10 miles out of Barstow, Raj, Stuart and Penny were asleep in their seats and Leonard was left along with his thoughts.

Leonard had not much time to quietly think about what was happening with Penny since he first ran into her yesterday afternoon. Leonard worried about their relationship all the time and he knew he was too insecure for his own good. Since she told him she loved him he was not too concerned about other men, no he really was concerned that Penny didn't want to spend her life with him. He was totally naïve the first time they were together, he thought once they were together, she would be his always. The break up had brought him back from this fantasy and made him understand that she could leave him at any time. Now that he knew how much it hurt to loose her, being with her now only reminded him how much it would hurt if he lost her again.

Yesterday had been bad for him, because there was nothing he could do and he knew she was trying to solve a problem that was causing her concern. She was having trouble dealing with something, she had gotten traffic tickets before and never acted so upset like yesterday, so it was something else. Whatever it was, it was still bothering her and he knew her well enough to see when things were eating at her, after all he had been her friend and confidant for over 5 years. He had to admit to himself that it could be him she was upset with and she was not telling him. The last time she broke up with him he had know she was upset, about him wanting her to say 'I Love You', but he had no idea she would break up with him until it happened at the bowling alley. Leonard knew, from before, she wouldn't talk to him about this either, and he didn't know what he could do to fix this. He looked at her sleeping in the seat next to him, feeling really helpless and a little scared.

The little two car convoy arrived in Las Vegas a little after 1 PM making excellent time which Sheldon contributed to his trip management expertise. They pulled into the hotel check in area of one of the largest casinos on the strip and made their way to the front desk. The girls were impressed and each was holding to their guy's arm, for guidance, as they looked around admiring the beautiful surroundings, even Amy. Penny was very impressed, "Leonard this is beautiful."

Leonard smiled, "Would you believe Sheldon actually had discount tickets for this place."

"Really, WOW, who would have thought." she said as she walked down the flowered pathways to the hotel reception desk. This was completely different from the cheap hotel Kurt took her to when she was last there. 'This is really nice' she thought and she gave Leonard's arm a squeeze.

"Guys, do you mind if we check in first, Sheldon and I have to hurry if we are to meet you for dinner." Amy said.

Bernadette told her to go ahead and Howard just nodded saying, "We're going to meet down her at about 5:30 PM, see you then."

Amy and Sheldon got their two bedroom suite and quickly disappeared. Raj and Stuart also got their two bedroom suite and started to head off when Howard asked them, "See you guys at 5:30?".

Raj and Stuart looked at each other and Stuart spoke for them, "We thought we would skip dinner and the show, and see the sights ourselves. You guys are couples, so we just thought we would hit the town and check out the girls." Raj nodded when Stuart was finished.

Howard understood completely, "Ok, see you at 9 AM tomorrow."

"Be careful and have fun." Leonard added and they were gone.

Leonard got his room, for him and Penny, and headed off with her, telling Howard and Bernadette, "See you at 5:30."

Finally it was Howard's turn to get the room he had reserved. The bridal suite. However, the young female clerk just stared at him, when he told her his name, and looked at her computer again and stared some more. Howard was feeling nervous and kept thinking something is screwed up and his little surprise for his beautiful bride was going to be ruined. Finally the desk clerk seemed to get control of herself.

"Mr. Wolowitz can you give me a minute, I have to talk to my manager." The clerk, Jenny, told him.

Howard just nodded knowing something was wrong and his plan had to be ruined. He seemed to never get a break.

Jenny walked back to the hotel manager's office. "Mr. Mitchell, we have a real life astronaut at the front desk!" she blurted out.

Mitchell looked at her, "You sure?"

Jenny just nodded, "You know I go to UNV for astronautical engineering." Mitchell just nodded, "Well we watched the last launch and recovery from the Space Lab and he was one of the astronauts!"

"Ok, let be call the casino manager, he loves celebrities in this place especially real people like astronauts. How long is he staying and what room is he booked in?"

"One night, Honeymoon suite." Jenny said

Mitchell quickly explained the situation to the casino manager who was surprisingly excited and told him to take care of Astronaut Wolowitz at the casinos expense. Jenny and Mr. Mitchell then came out to greet Howard.

"Mr. Wolowitz, it is an honor for our hotel to have a space hero as yourself and please accept the casinos hospitality during your stay here. Jenny will take you to your room and make sure you are settled in." Mitchell then gave two gold key cards to Jenny.

Howard was speechless and all that could come out of his mouth was "Thank you sir."

Mitchell smiled, "No, Thank You, sir."

Jenny smiled, "Please follow me Mr. Wolowitz, and please, one of the bell hops will take your bags."

Howard and Bernadette just followed Jenny to the elevator while a bell hop carried their bags. Once in the elevator Jenny showed them how to use the metal key cards.

"You will need to put your keys in this slot for the elevator to reach the penthouse. We restrict its access to only guests who reside there, so just put your card in here and the elevator knows what to do. It will take to the top with no stops, so if your entourage is with you, let them go to their rooms before you insert your key. Now if you are ready, I will take you up." Jenny stated

Howard and Bernadette just nodded. Howard was trying to remember 'did she say penthouse?' The elevator took them up to the top of the hotel, nonstop like Jenny said it would. When they arrived, the elevator doors opened to a small hallway that went right and left and at each end was a set of double doors. Jenny went right, Bernadette and Howard followed until they reached the locked doors which Jenny opened with one of the gold key cards. As Howard and Bernadette walked through the door they both looked at each other in shock because the plaque on the door said "Presidential Suite".

The suite was huge, no bigger than huge, Howard thought that maybe his mothers home would fit inside it. Jenny showed them around and Bernadette let out a small squeal when she saw the bath tub for the main bedroom. After the tour was done Jenny told Howard and Bernadette they were guests of the hotel and anything they needed just use their gold key cards to pay for it. She told them it included meals, room service, shows and even $1000 of chips to be used in the casino, then she gave each one of them a key card. Jenny again welcomed them and asked it they would mind meeting the casino manager later, which Howard said was OK, and then she took the bell hop with her to allow them time alone.

Howard and Bernadette just stood there amazed. Bernadette couldn't believe what was happening, it was like a fairy tale come true. The whole one side of the living room was curtained glass windows, that looked over Las Vegas, and the view was unbelievable from that high up. She just looked at her husband and smiled.

"Howie this is…beyond my wildest dreams! Thank You." Bernadette then just threw herself at him, to kiss the man she loved.

Howard felt like he was on cloud nine, no better than cloud nine, everything was turning out fantastic. He took his wife in his arms and returned her kiss with all the passion he had building in him over the last few weeks. He then picked her up in his arms and took her to the bedroom to finish the honeymoon they started before he went into space.

On their way to the bed, Bernadette just giggled and told him they would also try out that bath tub later, too. That really made Howard smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Amy had preprogrammed her GPS before they left Pasadena, so they arrived at the toy train warehouse only 15 minutes after leaving the hotel. In that 15 minutes Sheldon had changed from being still upset with Penny to an excited child. He almost opened the door of the car before she had completely stopped in the parking spot, in front of building! Amy followed Sheldon into the warehouse, almost having to run to keep up with him, and then almost bumping into him as he stopped a few feet inside the door in amazement.

Sheldon never saw so many trains and train accessories, in one place, in his life. He had gone to conventions and many other stores but this warehouse beat them all. It took him a few seconds to organize his thoughts, then he did a quick survey of the store floor and quickly put a browsing plan together, in his head. As soon as his plan came together, in his mind, he was off, a big grin plastered across his face.

Amy watched the huge grin form on his face when he entered the warehouse and it made her smile, but even as she was enjoying his happiness, he was gone, moving through the aisles at "Warp Speed". She chuckled, then looked around and saw a small sitting area with vending machines located in the corner and occupied by two other women. She walked over to one of the chairs, along the way, buying a bottled water from the vending machine. Sitting down, she took out her paperback copy of the "The Hobbit" from her purse. Amy figured she could get a few chapters read over the next 1-2 hours she expected to be there.

Raj and Stuart hurried to their suite and quickly got ready for their night out. Raj unburdened by his inability to talk, once they left the company of the girls, and Stuart were excited and making jokes about the things they dreamed would happen this night, . They were out the door of their suite, ready for fun, in less than an hour, and heading down Las Vegas strip, with all of the other tourists, taking in the glamour of Las Vegas.

Leonard dropped their bags on the their bed, while Penny opened the curtains to their room. Leonard heard her squeal and turned to see her slightly jumping up at down at the view out their window. Their room was on the 20th floor and was facing the Las Vegas strip, so the view was fantastic and Penny was getting excited. She turned to Leonard.

"We have some time before we need to be with everyone. Let's take a walk, OUT THERE! PLEASE!" She looked so cute, pleading and pointing out the window at the strip.

Leonard could never deny her anything, "Ok let me just wash my face and use the bathroom and we can be off."

20 minutes later Leonard and Penny were walking down the Las Vegas Strip, her arm around his and a smile on her face as wide as Nebraska. Penny was having fun, this was nothing like when Kurt took her there several years ago. They walked, stopped and checked out all the sights along the way, to her delight. They even stopped at this large modern video game center and played a game where they sat on stationary motorcycles and raced each other. They had never drove motorcycles before, so instead of racing they ended up just riding together and trying weave around each other in fun, Penny just giggled the whole time, riding wildly and flirting with Leonard while they played.

Penny and Leonard walked down one side of the strip for a little less that a hour then crossed the street, got a drink and then proceeded back to their hotel, seeing as much as they could along the way. Penny was having fun, this was wonderful, she hadn't been this happy in a long time and she realized she had almost had forgotten how it felt to feel this way. She gave Leonard's hand a little squeeze and turned to smile at him, the only thought in her head at that moment was, 'Thank you, Leonard'.

Leonard smiled back and began to think that she was finally coming out of yesterday's depression, he had found her in. He still wondered what had got her so depressed, but at least she seemed happy now.

Returning back to the hotel. Penny was leaning on Leonard as they walked through the lobby to the elevator. Leonard was amazed that after having been walking, for over and hour and a half, she seemed to have more energy than before they had started. While riding up the elevator she held his hand, slightly swinging it, while they stood waiting to arrive at their floor. He loved this moment, loved it when she was so happy, it made his heart swell up in his chest and all he could do was smile.

Entering their room, Penny went to the bathroom, to relieve herself and start getting ready for dinner. Leonard placed his suitcase on the bed, opened it and began to remove items he would need to prepare for dinner, also. Penny soon came out of the bathroom, opened her suitcase to remove her toiletries, and started to head back to the bathroom when she stopped and turned.

"Leonard, we are running a little late, you know." she said with a serious look on her face, then she continued, "We could probably save a little time if we showered together."

Leonard dropped everything and headed for the bathroom, right behind her. The shower could be heard starting a minute after the door closed and they didn't save any time.

Amy and Sheldon arrived at the hotel and quickly made their way to their suite. Sheldon had a large bag of train supplies and had rode all the way from the warehouse quietly looking at his purchases, with a small smile on his face. Amy was happy, he was happy, but wished he had talked to her some and shared his happiness with her.

They entered their suite, when "Amy" he said and she turned to look at him. He then looked into her eyes, "Thank You." and put his arms around her lightly, to bring her closer, so he could kiss her on the lips. It wasn't a long passionate kiss but more of a short sweet kiss, Amy was elated. The hug lasted longer and he very slowly pulled away, which allowed Amy to savor his touch.

"We better get ready now if we are going to be on time for dinner." Sheldon quietly said while still looking at her eyes. Then he slowly turned and walked to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Amy's heart was racing a mile a minute and without even realizing it, a word forced its way softly out of her mouth, "Hoo!". She slowing regained her composure and then went into her room to change. Closing her bedroom door and then leaning against it she thought this is really turning out to be a great trip after all. She smiled and headed to her bathroom to get ready.

Howard and Bernadette had spent the whole afternoon in their suite. The hotel had sent a little fruit, bread and meat tray to their room and they had just sat, nibbled and smiled at each other, after their passionate romp earlier in bed, but now they were falling behind in their getting ready for dinner. Their problem was not that they did not allow themselves enough time to get ready, the problem was that they were having trouble getting ready because they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Right now, Bernadette was trying to get ready, in front of the bathroom mirror, and Howard was standing behind her, with his arms around her waist, kissing and nibbling her neck. Bernadette's defenses were falling away one by one with each of Howard's kisses. If this went on much longer, Bernadette knew she wouldn't be able to resist him, would skip dinner, and take him to bed. Bernadette's proper upbringing finally made her realize that they had promised to meet with everyone for dinner and they were obligated to do it, so she mustered all the will she had left.

"Howie, Honey, we really need to get ready and I can't with you getting me all excited." she purred.

Howard sadly relented, with one last kiss and just said "Ok, I'll hurry." then he went off to finish getting ready.

Bernadette sighed, Howard's last kiss almost broke all her will, she couldn't believe how much she wanted him right now. She wondered if maybe going to dinner was not the best choice after all.

Penny had showered, dried off and dressed with Leonard before but watching him now getting ready wearing only his boxers, she was really noticing that Leonard did have a nice body and awesome buns under those shorts. She kept taking brief little looks at him while he shaving, combing his hair and putting on cologne, all which made him seem so masculine to her and it was making her a little flushed. Since they had gotten back together, they had spent a lot of time together, and slept together, but the long shower, them both running around in underwear, Penny putting on makeup and Leonard cologne, was sort of intimate, like husband and wife, Penny thought.

Penny liked being with Leonard, ever since she first started to come over to his apartment to hang around the guys, years ago. She always knew she would enjoy being in their apartment if Leonard was there, he was just fun to be around. He was her best friend and now her lover, 'her lover' she thought and there was an added benefit, she did love to cuddle him. She took another quick glance at him while he started to put on his suit and she thought how handsome he looked, this was turning her on, she realized. She quickly adverted her eyes to put on her makeup, because they needed to get ready, she told herself, but really because she was only a step away from taking him to bed.

Leonard couldn't help himself, he kept taking quick glances at Penny while she got ready. She was now at the bathroom mirror, leaning towards it putting on her eye liner, only dressed in light gray lacy bra and panties. He couldn't believe the effect she was having on him, she was so beautiful and he was so lucky, he couldn't believe she was his girlfriend. He slowly got control of his emotions and willed himself to continue dressing as a small sigh left his lips. Leonard was very happy.

Penny had completed dressing while purposely avoiding looking at Leonard while he got ready. She was now dressed and only had to put her high heels on, when her gaze fell on Leonard, again. He was so handsome in his suit, its dark colors accented his eyes and even made his glasses look like a fashion statement. She should just picture herself on his arm, then she looked at her heels, they were 3 inches high and now she didn't want to wear them. She went to her bag and got out a pair of very short dressy black shoes that she had gotten soon after she realized how much her being taller than him bothered him. She quickly put them on, before he noticed, them walked over, took his arm, and gave him a small kiss, which in return she got one of his huge smiles she just adored. As they left the room and walked arm in arm to the elevator, she thought they had to be the most handsome couple in the whole casino.

Howard and Bernadette surprisingly where the first to arrive at the hotel lobby, even though they were 2-3 minutes late. Sheldon and Amy were late because Amy had found a small stain on Sheldon's tie, before they left their suite, and it had taken her ten minutes to get it out. While they waited, Jenny, who was about to get off shift, approached them to give them an envelope with six tickets to tonight's show. As she approached, Howard noticed she looked like she had a picture in her other hand that she was trying hide.

"Mr. Wolowitz, I have your tickets in this envelope for you and your party. Six tickets." she told Howard, then she got a little scared and didn't know what to say next. Jenny had used the hotels photo quality printer to print a NASA picture of Howard and she wanted to get him to autograph it.

Howard took the tickets and smiled, then he caught glimpse of the picture Jenny was trying to hide and realized it was of him. "Would you like me to sign that for you?" Howard said with a even bigger smile.

Jenny just blushed and blurted out, "Would you, please." she pleaded.

Howard took the picture and went to the desk to sign it on a hard surface. Bernadette who had watched this whole exchange just watched as Howard autographed the picture and handed it to Jenny. Bernadette figured he had put something really nice on it, because Jenny just squealed 'Thank You.' when she got the now autographed picture back. Howard smiled, turned and walked the short distance back to Bernadette with such a huge grin and looking so proud, that it made her smile too.

"Well you made her happy." Bernadette teased him

Howard continued to smile "She really wanted my autograph. That was so cool."

Before they could say another word they both saw Leonard and Penny exit the elevator, arm in arm, and heading straight for them. Bernadette thought what a cute couple they made and how they were so perfect for each other. Bernadette also noticed that Penny didn't have her usual high heels on, that made her tower over Leonard, which only made them seem cuter, she thought 'isn't that sweet'.

Leonard and Penny had just completed their greetings to Howard and Bernadette when another elevator opened and out walked Sheldon and Amy. Again greetings were exchanged with even Sheldon being pleasant, even though it was obvious he was not too happy they were going to eat at a strange place.

"Well let's go eat." Howard suggested, so they all made their way to the restaurant.

There was a line waiting to get into the restaurant but Jenny had told Howard to give the greeter his name when he got there. The greeters reaction surprised Howard and the whole group because they were immediately whisked to a table with a reserved sign in a very nice location in the restaurant. A waitress came quickly and got their drink order and then what appeared to be the restaurant manager came to tell them that the chef was going to prepare their meal personally and he made a few recommendations that were the chef's specialties. They all picked one of the chef's specialties, including Sheldon, who seemed now not to mind eating in this place since he knew his food was only going to be handled by the head chef.

Their drinks came and they all started talking as they waited for their food. This was a nice restaurant, one of the nicest on the strip and it even had a small music ensemble and a small dance floor. The soft music, elegant surroundings and romantic atmosphere was really noticed by the girls who were all really enjoying themselves. Leonard, Howard and Sheldon looked like handsome successful young men with their beautiful dates and many the man and women were looking over at them with a little jealously at the beautiful people being treated so well by the hotel.

The meal they received was some of the best food any of them had ever ate. Sheldon was even impressed and stated that if this place was closer to Pasadena, it would easily replace their regular Tuesday night dinner place, a true complement. The special attention they were getting resulted in their meals coming to them quickly, so they had plenty time to enjoy the mood of the restaurant while they waited for desert. The band was playing a series of slow dancing music and a few couples had gotten up on the dance floor, and this was enough to give Howard courage to ask Bernadette.

"Would you like to dance, my lady." he said quietly to her.

She smiled, "Yes, of course." and took his hand to the dance floor.

Leonard had watched all this and glanced at the beautiful Penny. "Penny, would you like to dance?"

Penny looked at him slightly surprised before her face turned into a big smile, "Oh Leonard, Yes!"

Leonard and Penny followed Howard and Bernadette to the dance floor and both couples held each close, slowly swaying to the music. When the music changed to another song both couples just stayed out there, still holding each other, until the next selection started.

The first song ended and Amy just watched the other two couples stay out there to dance longer, which made her sigh. She didn't really think her sigh was very loud, but Sheldon's keen hearing picked it up and he looked down at her and realized she was sad.

She had been good to him all day and tonight was really not too bad so he decided.

"Amy, would you like to dance?" he asked

Amy looked up at him in surprise, "Yes Sheldon, I would like that very much. Are sure you want to do that?" she asked, hoping he would say yes.

"Amy, you are my girlfriend, and social convention seems to be currently that I should dance with you. So yes I am sure." he stated

Amy just smiled and followed him to dance floor. She again thought "This is really turning into a great trip!"

Penny's head was on Leonard's shoulder with her face close to his neck. She was realizing how much she liked Leonard being about the same height as her and how it felt so right to have her head on his shoulder. She had never felt this way with any other man, while slow dancing, somehow having her head rest on her dancing partner's chest, was not as intimate to her as having her head on Leonard's shoulder, like now. Leonard was the perfect size for her, she thought. Nuzzled close to his neck, she could smell his cologne, feel his body slowly swaying with hers and added with the soft playing music, it all made her feel so content and happy. She kept closing her eyes and enjoying the moment, until one time when she opened them and saw Sheldon and Amy start to dance on the floor behind Leonard. Leonard felt her jump and then a small squeal from her.

In his ear, quietly as she could in her excited state she told him, "Leonard, Sheldon is slow dancing with Amy!" She wanted to get Amy's attention and give her a wink, but Amy's eyes were closed as she rested her head on Sheldon's chest, gently swaying to the music. Penny just smiled and put her head on Leonard's shoulder with her face closer to his neck, which she gave a small kiss and then closed her eyes again lost in the moment.

Leonard slowly moved in a circle with Penny in his arms, so he could see Sheldon and Amy. Amy had her eyes closed and Sheldon was looking down on her, even Leonard thought it was adorable. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Howard and Bernadette swaying to the music, too and it was so obvious they were in love. He would have never thought of him being on a elegant dance floor, with his beautiful girlfriend, while his nerdy friends danced near him with their beautiful girlfriend/wife. He smiled and thought 'Life is good.'

Leonard, Penny, Howard and Bernadette didn't know how many songs they stayed out on the dance floor for, well maybe Sheldon or Amy did, but it had been wonderful for all of them. Once Sheldon had gotten on the dance floor he noticed how much Amy was enjoying herself and he decided to stay out as long as the other two couples to reward her for his great train store trip. While they had been dancing their deserts had come out, so now they were just enjoying their sweets and quietly talking. The girls were doing the most talking and were just a bit giddy, which made Howard and Leonard just smile. When they were done, the waitress asked for Howard's gold key card, went off to register the meals on it and then returned it shortly to him. He asked what the total was so he could give her a nice tip, but was told everything had been taken care of, and it was a pleasure to serve him.

Howard and the group left the restaurant and headed slowly to show theater on the other end of the casino. Howard stopped by the cashier's and showed her his gold key card, which she immediately checked on her computer then gave him $1000 of casino chips. The casino chips were not real money and could not be cashed, but allowed you to play the games like you had real money and you could keep your winnings, which was real money. Howard took the chips and divided them among the group, giving Leonard, Penny, Amy and Sheldon $150 in chips while splitting $400 between him and Bernadette. Everybody just put about $50 in the slot machines and played, except Sheldon who just stood there disgusted, for the next 20-30 minutes. Finally, Sheldon broke up their fun and reminded them the show was starting in the next 45 minutes and they needed to get in line, so they made their way to theater.

As their group approached the theater they noticed a line of almost 100-people had already formed, but Howard remembered that Jenny told him to just show the ticket person his tickets and gold key card when he got there. The ticket person checked his card on the computer, like the casher, and then called an usher to escort the group right into the theater, to their surprise, again. The guys and girls felt a little uncomfortable from the stares of the waiting crowd, in line ,on their backs when they followed the usher through the curtain and into the theater.

The theater consisted of several levels with tables and chairs on each level. The usher led the gang to a reserved table at the center of the theater, just a few levels up from the stage providing it a perfect view of the show. The usher then asked them if they would like drinks while they waited for the show to start. They told him, yes, and the girls ordered wine, the boys beers and Sheldon a 7-UP.

After the drinks arrived Leonard just looked at Howard and smiled.

"Howard, being part of your entourage, is fun!" which everyone nodded in agreement.

While they waited for their drinks a distinguished man and a younger man, obviously his assistant, came up to them.

"Hello, I am Jack Warner, Manager of this casino. I would like to welcome you, Mr. Wolowitz, to my casino and I hope we are all treating you well and you are enjoying yourself." Mr. Warner then extended his hand to Howard.

Howard went into a NASA astronaut mode, standing, shaking the extended hand of Mr. Warner and thanking him. The group had never seen Howard act so, mature/professional before, because Howard had never had to use this persona, that he was trained to do at NASA. Howard then introduced all his friends to Mr. Warner, taking extra time in introducing his wife, and then politely conversed with him, answering all the questions he had about space. Mr. Warner asked him if he could have a few pictures and Howard agreed, so Mr. Warner beckoned a photographer from the back of the theater and had him take pictures of him and Howard, then also had him take pictures of the group. Mr. Warner, no Jack, then thanked Howard for his time and hoped they had a great time in Las Vegas, especially Howard who he told if he needed anything just call his office and then he gave him his card. Before he left he told the group he would have copies of the group picture for them when they checked out. He obviously enjoyed meeting and talking with Howard and smiled as he bid them all, goodbye.

For the next 10 minutes, they just sipped their drinks and talked about Howard's meeting with the casino manager. Leonard made a comment how Jack didn't really look like a gangster which made them all laugh. The theater was now starting to fill up with the audience and the gang was surprised how fast every table filled up. Their table was perfect and is was far enough from the other tables to not be crowded, which made Sheldon happy. It didn't take long for the rest of the audience to get seated, so soon the lights dimmed, the show started.

The show they saw was suppose to be one of the best on the strip and they were not disappointed. It had everything, excitement, special effects, wild stunts, dancing and fantastic stage settings. Everyone was enthralled with the presentation before them, even Sheldon who was trying to analyze all the special effects, and it wasn't long before they were just lost in the show, with the girls holding their guy's hands.

Leonard was getting a small kick on how Penny was acting, during the show. She had a firm grip on his hand and every time something exciting, funny or spectacular happen she would squeeze his hand with intensity, which brought a smile to his face. She seemed to be in a trace during the whole performance and even had a small tear in her eye when it was over.

Penny had never seen a Las Vegas show or any live show like it and she just marveled how well the actors performed, the choreography and the whole spectacular production. It was nothing like she had seen while auditioning in Pasadena and she felt a little disappointed knowing she would never be able to perform like the people on the stage where doing now in front of her. However, she did think it was wonderful though and Leonard was wonderful for bringing her here.

After the show ended, the gang sat at their table and just talked until most of the people had filed out of the theater. When they left, Penny and Leonard had their arms around each other, Bernadette was tucked under Howard's arm, and even Amy was holding hands with Sheldon. The girls were so happy with their men, they had been perfect gentlemen who had treated them to fine dining, dancing and then took them to this marvelous show. Exiting the theater they regrouped on the casino floor to discuss their plans.

"Guy, it is almost 10 PM and Bernie and I were thinking of making it a early night, so I think we are just going to go up to the room now." Howard stated. Bernadette just smiled.

"OK, you guys have fun." Leonard told them. Penny gave Bernadette a wink, which just made Bernadette just smile a little more.

"See you tomorrow morning." Amy told them and Sheldon added, "At 9 AM."

Bernadette and Howard left the group, arm in arm, to their suite and the rest of their Honeymoon.

Leonard looked at Penny, "It's not too late, and we still have some of these casino chips left, do you want to wander around for a little while?"

Penny just smiled at him, "Yes, I do." and she gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

Amy looked at Sheldon, "Sheldon, we have chips also, do you want to go with them?"

"It is getting late Amy, we have to get up early." he responded.

"Please Sheldon, just for a little bit, who knows when we'll be back here again." Amy pleaded.

Sheldon knew he had been a excellent companion all night, so another hour would not hurt him too much. He also thought that this trip and night should make Amy less demanding for a while, so he could see the benefit of appeasing her this one more time. "Ok, Amy, just for an hour."

With that, Leonard, Penny, Amy and Sheldon walked into the casino, with their chips, to have a little fun.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Leonard and Penny walked around the casino with Amy and Sheldon in tow. They walked by all the slot machines and were approaching the game tables, when Penny made a small guttural sound.

Leonard looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"That table game is the one…uh, Kurt, …um, played all night the time I was here before." she told him, again regretting she brought it up.

"That's the Craps table, one of the games in Las Vegas where skill is just as important as luck for winning." Leonard just stated, ignoring that she had mention Kurt.

"Well standing there watching some one throw the dice isn't much fun when you don't know what's going on." she said sadly.

"It's a lot more fun when you are throwing the dice and have bets on the board, would you like to try?" he asked her.

She looked at him sort of skeptically, thinking he said the same things about some of the board games he tricked her into playing, but what the hell, why not. "I'll give it a try, but you promise it is fun."

Leonard smiled "We can stop when you think it is not fun anymore."

She gave in, "OK"

Leonard and Penny went to the Craps table and Sheldon looked at Amy.

"Amy, Let's move along. Leonard will probably be here a while because he thinks he is some kind of Craps mathematical genius. If we stay and watch we could be here all night and I value my time more than watching that stupid game." Sheldon stated as he started to move Amy away from the Craps table Penny and Leonard were at.

Raj and Stuart had wandered around Las Vegas and had taken in the sights, but now they were out for serious fun, so they were in a strip club. Raj had brought money for just this reason and he and Stuart were on the way to being the most popular guys in the club, at least to the girls. Two girls in particular had caught the boys fancy, a half Indian girl (Raj's type of Indian), named Jasmine and a cute slim girl, with short mousey blonde hair, named Star. The girls had started to sit with them, when they weren't dancing, and Raj had been buying them drinks so they all were getting pretty friendly.

Penny and Leonard positioned themselves at the table and put their casino chips in the table tray slots. They were at the end of the table, and as soon as the table crew saw the pretty dressed up blonde, they announced they had a new shooter. Leonard put a few bets down while Penny was given the dice.

"What do I do?" Penny whispered to Leonard being a little scared about what was going to happen next.

Leonard smiled "Just toss the dice on the table making sure you hit the opposite wall with them."

Penny threw the dice and everyone sort of cheered around the table. The table crew said something about something paying something and then she was given the dice and told shooter needs some number. She looked at Leonard and he motioned she should throw the dice again, so she did. Again, more cheers, more talk about paying by the table crew and more shooter needing a number. She continued to throw the dice because everyone seemed to want her to keep doing it. They were all smiling at her, around the table, and she seemed to them to be the most important person at the table, which bewildered her. Penny continued to throw the dice and started to get interested in the game to the point she began to enjoy herself. A nice waitress asked her what she wanted to drink, which she told her a martini, and she continued to throw the dice, slowly learning she was suppose to make certain points to do well.

Leonard let Penny throw the dice while he placed the bets. Leonard was a genius, just like Sheldon, so with each dice throw he would calculate the odds of Penny getting her number and place the bids accordingly. Like all games of chance, luck was needed by a winner, but if you knew the odds and played the most probable positions, the amount of luck needed was greatly reduced. Leonard did not play to win big but placed his bids to be on the positive side of the cash flow after each roll. The casino chips were not money, you couldn't cash them for cash, but the chips you won with them was the same as cash and Leonard was starting to accumulate them at a pretty regular rate.

Penny ended up the only one throwing the dice because when someone else was offered the dice they would all pass to the pretty blonde. The table crew never said anything about what was going on because the table was soon crowded with people placing bets, especially men, enjoying the pretty blonde throwing the dice. Penny was really starting to have fun, the more she played. Penny even started to understand the game some and the numbers she was suppose to throw, so now she would get excited with each throw, and each time she hit her number on the dice. All the men were now making comments and cheering her on, but she still felt secure as long as Leonard was at her side, so she just kept throwing the dice and enjoying herself. She would take a little sip of her martini, every few throws and knew she wasn't drinking too much because her drink was hardly going down. In all the excitement Penny didn't realize the waitress was making a good effort keeping her drink fresh while she was playing, so Penny was drinking more than she thought.

Sheldon and Amy wandered around the gaming tables till Sheldon stopped near the single deck blackjack table. Sheldon was not a gambler, but if he was, this would be the game he played. While he stood there he would whisper to Amy who was going to win and who was going bust just before they got their cards and most of the time he was right. Amy asked him why didn't play, which he responded that it was a silly game and he only like figuring the probabilities of the next card.

Amy continued to watch with him amazed on how he could predict the results. "Sheldon, how are good are you? If you were at the table could sway the results?" she asked

"I'm very good with these calculations and I can remember every card played in the deck. Why do you ask?" he replied

"Sheldon, I propose an experiment on human behavior." Amy stated.

Sheldon's face formed a small smile, "I love experiments, Amy Farrah Fowler, what do propose?"

"If you think you can, I propose that you enter the game and see if you can make the other players win so we can see their reactions to their new found luck." She stated.

Sheldon reflected, putting his hand to his chin, "That would be interesting, they seem to be really excited when they win a hand, they would probably be going crazy if they were winning several in a row. Also the probability equations, I would have to do, would be complex, which would be challenging. I like it!"

Amy handed Sheldon her chips and Sheldon took a seat at the blackjack table to begin the experiment. Sheldon seated himself so he always received the first card from the dealer. Since it was only a single deck he easily knew the cards left after each person got their show card, he would then calculate the probability of what card he was getting and if his getting the card would benefit the person to his side, then the probability the remaining people getting the cards they needed, including the dealer. In short, Sheldon made his decision on whether to take a card or "hit" based on the benefit it would be for the other players. Before long the other players started to have a winning streak, while Sheldon slowly started to loose his casino chips. He was winning some, and betting the minimum bet so he calculated he could go on with this little experiment for at least an hour. The lucky streak was making all the players excited and loud, which interested the Pitt Boss but he could find nothing wrong while he watched and didn't even think about Sheldon, who seemed to be the only one slowly loosing.

While Sheldon and Amy were enjoying themselves at their game/experiment a waitress came by and asked if they wanted drinks. Amy asked for wine and Sheldon ice tea, however the table was quite loud and waitress understood wine and New England Ice Tea. Approximately a hour and three New England Ice Teas later, Sheldon was not feeling himself, acting silly, and started to quickly loosing his remaining chips. Amy noticed this change and took a sip of his ice tea, which confirmed her suspicions on why he was not well. She got him off his seat, as he started to problems sitting and moved him away from the table. Sheldon then left with Amy, back to his suite, with her helping him walk. The players at the table had a change of luck after the tall slender, well dressed man left with his girlfriend.

It had been about two hours since Leonard and Penny started playing at the Craps table and there remained a large crowd of men the whole time. After the first hour, Leonard became quite aware that the men were interested more in Penny than the game when he noticed them making stupid bets, just to be in the action, to watch her. Now Leonard was not having fun, but was reluctant to suggest leaving because Penny seemed to be having so much fun. Penny's excitement also sort of bothered him because he wondered if it was because she was enjoying all the attention of the men, who were leering at her. He was thinking these thoughts when suddenly Penny's very short heels seemed to be too high for her to stand in and she sort of fell into him. Penny quickly straighten up, gave him a 'Sorry Sweetie' and a quick kiss to the lips, which were accompanied by remarks by the men, around her, about them needing kisses. Leonard had not realized Penny was drunk until her alcohol breathe had hit him during that kiss and that was the final excuse he needed to get her away from all this attention. Penny picked up the dice and they slipped out of her hand to which she said 'Opsie" and Leonard took the dice and gave them to the table crew while saying "I think we're done."

Leonard gathered up his chips in a chip rack, the table crew gave him, for his winnings. He then proceeded to herd Penny away from the table, to comments of most the gathered men telling Penny it was too early to leave and that she should come with them instead of Leonard. Penny followed Leonard's lead, telling him that, that had been fun as he helped her walk.

Penny turned her head back to the table as she left, responding to all the men telling her not to leave, "Sorry, my boyfriend says it's time to go and he's really smart." slurring her words. Leonard hurried her out of there before he hit somebody for the remarks they made while he was leaving with her.

Penny was having a lot of trouble just walking back to the hotel part of the casino, so she kicked off her shoes, which Leonard had to pick up. Leonard had been trying to watch her while they played, but between betting and her being so close to him he figured everything was OK, he had not been watching enough because he had no idea she had been drinking so much. She was very drunk, and was about as silly as he ever saw her, even making people stare at them as they moved through the casino. Finally reaching the elevator and getting her in, he had to deal with her trying to undress him and herself all the way to the 20th floor and their room. They had made it to the room, when she started turning green and began to look sick.

All the sudden funny Penny turned to serious Penny, "Leonard, I feel sick." as he helped her make a beeline to the toilet. Leonard ended up sitting on the floor of the bathroom holding Penny's hair while she threw up, she was really sick. Leonard also felt a little sick because he knew he should have been more protective of her and he felt this was his fault, he had ruined the perfect evening they had been having together.

Amy had a little more tolerance for alcohol, from hanging with Penny, than Sheldon, so she took control and got him back to their suite. No sooner than they were back, Sheldon ran to the toilet to be sick, Amy following him to try and help. However, seeing Sheldon throw up only made her sick and throw up too, so during the next hour, Amy and Sheldon stayed sick in the bathroom. Finally done, Amy helped Sheldon get out of his suit and get under the covers of the bed, in which he drifted off to sleep. Amy laid on top of the bed to make sure he was OK before she went to her bed, but soon fell asleep next to Sheldon, still in the dress she had worn that night.

Jasmine and Star had really taken a liking to Raj and Stuart, especially after they had had a few drinks and were feeling pretty good. The strippers told the boys to meet them in the parking lot after their shift, so now they were all driving back to the girls apartment to continue partying. With some liquor, they picked up along the way, Raj and Stuart joined the girls in their apartment and soon after in the girls beds. All of them were pretty drunk but later Raj was still sober enough to realize that he had first went to bed with Jasmine, to have sex, and now he was with Star having sex, which surprised even himself.

Leonard had spent almost the whole night on the floor of the bathroom with Penny, trying to do anything to lessen her discomfort. He had gotten her dress off and her sweats on, but not much more because she had been sick the whole time. Now after over 5 hours of sitting on the bathroom floor, with her telling him in a very small voice that she hurt and didn't feel well, she seemed to finally be well enough to put in bed for some sleep. Once in bed, she immediately dosed off and Leonard just laid there with her, watching to make sure she didn't get sick again. Leonard kept dosing off until about 7:30 AM when he got up to call and tell Howard that Penny was sick and needed a few more hours sleep before they left, so they needed to delay till noon.

The phone rang in Sheldon and Amy's suite and woke Amy who grabbed it after the second ring. Howard told her what Leonard said about Penny, then told them they wouldn't be leaving till noon, which Amy acknowledged and hung up. She looked at the 7:45 AM on the clock and realized they could sleep almost 3 more hours and silently thought 'Thank You'. She reset the alarm and then went back to her room to sleep, never waking Sheldon the whole time.

Raj woke up with the sun pouring through the curtains and surveyed his surroundings. He was in a large bed with Jasmine and she was sound asleep, he smiled, 'wait a minute what time was it!' his mind shouted out. Raj looked and found her alarm clock and it was 9:30 AM and they were suppose to be leaving Las Vegas at 9 AM, Holy Cow! He quickly got up and dressed, then went to find Stuart, who he almost tripped over when he went into the living room of the apartment. Stuart and Star were nude on the living room floor with a blanket over them, so Raj gave Stuart a shake to wake him up and get him dressed and going. It took Raj and Stuart almost till 10 AM to find and taxi which got them to the hotel 20 minutes later, to find, to their relief, that Amy's and Bernadette's cars were still in the parking lot.

Raj and Stuart immediately saw Howard and Bernadette when they entered the hotel lobby, walking directly to them. Unfortunately Raj could not talk with Bernadette there so he nodded to Stuart, who at first stared at him then suddenly realized what Raj wanted, when the cobwebs cleared from his head.

"Go morning Howard, Bernadette. Um… weren't we suppose to leave at 9AM?" Stuart asked

Raj and Stuart looked a mess which made Howard chuckle, "Everyone is sort of sick, like in hung-over, so we are not leaving till noon."

"What happen to you guys?" Bernadette asked

Raj looked up and Stuart looked at his shoes. Howard looked at Bernadette and just said, "Honey, I don't think you really want to know."

"Oh? OH!" Bernadette now had a slightly disgusted expression on her face.

Howard grabbed Bernadette's hand and started to take her to the casino, telling Raj and Stuart as he left, "See you at the cars at noon, we have some chips to loose." and he and Bernadette disappeared into the casino.

The excitement now over, Raj motioned to Stuart to the elevators. They were both beat, but they had no time to rest, just enough time to shower, pack, checkout, and get to the cars before noon. Raj felt pretty worn out, but then he smiled as he thought last night, it had been worth it, two girls!

Howard and Bernadette showed up at the cars first, packing their bags and souvenirs into the trunk. Shortly, Raj and Stuart showed up looking clean but very tired, they just nodded to Howard and Bernadette, loaded their bags and took seats in the back of Bernadette's car. Both of them leaning their heads on their windows with their eyes closed.

Howard just looked at Bernadette, "Well I'm glad we spent the night in the room if this is an indication of the condition everyone is in." Bernadette just nodded in agreement.

Leonard came out of the hotel, into the sunlight, carrying their bags and slightly supporting Penny. "Oh God!, Kill me now!" She moaned as soon as they hit the sunlight.

"Didn't those aspirins work at all?" Leonard asked

Penny mumbled "A little, now at least I don't want to jump out of our hotel room window!" She was holding Leonard's arm, with her eyes closed and her other hand holding her head, letting him lead her like she was blind. All she wanted to do is lie down and go unconscious.

Leonard led Penny to Amy's car and she immediately got in and laid on the back seat. He put their bags in the trunk, then got in the back seat to reposition Penny so she could sleep on his lap.

Howard and Bernadette just watched Leonard and Penny with sympathy, "Wow" was all Bernadette could say, Howard just nodded.

Sheldon and Amy came out with their bags, walking unsteady and bumping each other as they walked to the car. Amy first went to her car and saw Leonard with a sleeping Penny in his lap and didn't have the heart to move her bestie. She then went to Bernadette's car and told Raj to go to her car and Stuart to get in the passenger seat so her and Sheldon could have the back seat. Grumbling Raj and Stuart did what they were told, so Amy and Sheldon got in the back seat and started to doze, leaning on each other.

Howard put Amy and Sheldon's bags in the truck, shaking his head the turned to Bernadette.

"I guess we will have to drive home. None of them can drive." He said sadly

"I wouldn't trust any of them behind a wheel. They all look like they either haven't slept for a week or are too hung over. I'll drive our car Howie and you drive Amy's OK? Drive carefully honey, I Love You." Bernadette then gave Howard a kiss and a smile.

"I Love You, too, and be careful driving also." Howard said to Bernadette, then to himself as he walked to the car "Well that ends the romantic weekend."

The cars left the hotel parking lot and down the streets of Las Vegas to get on I-15 for the drive back to Pasadena. No sooner than they got on I-15, everyone was asleep except for Howard, Bernadette and surprisingly Leonard.

Leonard was sitting in the back seat of Amy's car with Penny's head in his lap. He had gotten a pillow, with a Las Vegas scene on it, in a small hotel shop, so he had something she could lay her head on while she slept. His jacket was thrown over her to keep her warm and he couldn't help himself from touching her hair while she slept. He looked at her in despair, she was pretty hung-over and it was all his fault.

The trip back to Pasadena was a very quiet one with Stuart asleep in the passenger seat, next to Bernadette, and Sheldon and Amy asleep in the back seat, leaning on each other. Bernadette was driving, lost in her own thoughts, about her love, Howie, and their wonderful night together. She was thinking about how they spend an hour soaking in the huge tub talking, kissing and finally making love. They had made love in the bed, also, then talked more of their new future together. They talked about their plans for their lives, what they wanted to accomplish and even where they wanted to live. To Bernadette's amazement, they even talked about buying their own house and she was excited about that. Her first house and what it would be like occupied her mind as she drove, and this made the drive seem not as long as the trip the day before.

Howard was driving Amy's car, with Penny in the back, Leonard quietly sitting there awake staring out the window, Raj asleep in the front passenger seat and like Bernadette, Howard was lost in his own thoughts. Howard was actually enjoying this quiet time, because it gave him time to go over what he would say to his mother when he told her him and Bernadette were going to buy a house. Howard was also excited because Bernadette told him, out of the clear blue last night, that maybe in the future she might want a child and he knew she was serious.

Leonard kept staring out the window and thinking about how he had been a nerd all his life, so his childhood was a series of disappointments and hurt feelings. Girls and guys had made fun of him and he had been used many times by girls who could care less about him. Many times the only companion he had was his own mind, thinking about other worlds and how things could be, so he would revert back to that way when he was distressed. Penny called it 'thinking to much' and right now he was doing it. He felt terrible for not taking care of Penny and he thought, ruining the weekend for her. He could not get the picture of her sitting on the bathroom floor and puking, out of his mind. She was so wore out, when he finally got her in the bed, and then she only had a few hours sleep before they had to make the trip back to Pasadena. He had gotten some aspirin in her and some water but she had a whopper of a headache and the only thing she wanted to do is stay in the sweet oblivion of sleep. Right now, Leonard hated himself and he thought he was not much better than all the other guys, Penny had gone out with before, that didn't care about her. As they drove, Leonard just belittled himself in his mind and sunk deeper in despair.

The little convoy arrived back in Pasadena, at the Leonard, Sheldon and Penny's apartment building, at about 7 PM that night. They were all beat and after parking the cars in the parking lot, of the apartment building, unloaded the cars like zombies. Leonard and Howard took everyone's bags upstairs and Raj and Stuart took their bags, saying a quick goodbye, so that they could go to Raj's apartment and sleep. Coming back down Leonard got Penny up, woke Amy and Sheldon up and said his goodbyes.

"Thanks for driving us all back, sorry about everything." Leonard told Howard and Bernadette.

Howard and Bernadette told him he was welcome and to take care, then got in their car for their trip home.

Leonard helped Penny up the stairs following an unsteady Amy and Sheldon up to the fourth floor. They made it to the fourth floor with no one falling and opened the doors to 4A and 4B.

"Amy, I going to stay with Penny and you look very tired, so since your suitcase is up here, you are welcome to spend the night in my room." Leonard then smiled to Amy and started to take Penny into her apartment.

Before he closed the door Amy mumbled, "Thank You, Leonard", then followed Sheldon into his apartment and closed the door behind them.

Leonard sat Penny down on the couch, then Leonard put a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster, and found some bottled water in her fridge. He then took the toast and bottled water to Penny who was now laying on the couch and woke her up.

"What Leonard!, God I haven't felt this bad since my Senior Prom." she said.

"Penny you need to eat a little something and drink some water before you go back to bed and then I can give you some more aspirin. " Leonard held out the toast and water.

"Do I have too?" she pleaded

"Yes, you need something in your stomach." he stated

Penny ate the toast and drank the water for the next 15 minutes and Leonard gave her aspirin, then helped her get ready for bed. She crawled into bed and he sat by her until she was comfortable, she was asleep soon after he put the covers over her. Leonard laid down with her for a little while and when he was sure she was soundly asleep, crept out the bed and went to her living room. Leonard took a seat on her couch and sat there thinking about his hurt angel in the bedroom behind him. He just wanted her to rest until she was better and he knew she was suppose to go to work tomorrow. She need to rest tomorrow, and since the Cheesecake Factory was still open, he decided to call.

"Cheesecake Factory may I help you?" was the response Leonard heard to his call.

"Yeah, could I speak to the manager please?" Leonard responded

"This is the manager, Bryan, May I help you." Leonard soon heard

"Sorry to bother you, this is Leonard, Penny, your waitress's boyfriend, sorry to bother you." Leonard stated

"Yes Leonard, I know you. Is something wrong with Penny?" Bryan asked.

"Yeah, she is sick and has been sick since last night. She is starting to get better, but she is not going to be well enough to come in tomorrow." Leonard told a little white lie.

"No problem, Mondays are usually slow. Do you think she'll be well enough for Tuesday?" Bryan asked.

"I think if she rests tomorrow, she should be OK by Tuesday. If that changes, she will give you a call. She has been mostly asleep all day, so that is why I called now." Leonard stated.

"OK, tell her to get well and we'll see her Tuesday. Goodnight." Bryan ended.

"Thanks. I'll let her know. Goodnight." Leonard hung up and sighed. He thought 'That went well.'

Leonard hoped Penny wouldn't be mad at him, but she could really afford not to go to work tomorrow, so hopefully she would understand. They had won more than enough money in Las Vegas that missing one day of work wouldn't hurt her at all. Convincing himself he had did the right thing, Leonard got up and went across the hall to get ready for bed and not wake Penny up.

Entering his apartment, he noticed the lights off and then heard and saw Amy leaving the bathroom.

"How are you feeling Amy?" he asked

Amy turned to him, "Tired, I really need sleep." stopping to look at him.

"Where's Sheldon?" he asked

"He brushed his teeth, relieved himself, and went to bed. I think I can hear him snoring." she stated

"Oh, Ok, if you don't mind I want to just pop in my room and get my robe, slippers, and fresh under clothes, then take a shower." He was asking her.

"Alright." she agreed

Leonard quickly got his clothes and left his room. Amy gave him a tired smile, when he saw her again in the hall, then she passed him and entered his room, closing the door behind her. He felt sorry for her, she was a good person, and Sheldon and her should be together taking care of each other, he thought.

Leonard showered changed and headed back over to Penny's, wrapped in his robe. Penny was still in the position he left her so he quietly got into bed beside her. She must be really sleepy, he thought, because she didn't even move when he laid down beside her. He thought about wrapping his arms around her, but he again thought he shouldn't disturb her, so he just made himself as comfortable as he could. Leonard laid awake thinking, for several minutes, until his lack of sleep caught up with him and he too drifted off.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Leonard got up early and quietly sneaked out of the bed he was in with Penny, to not wake her up. He went to the living room and got a piece of paper to write a note, to put over Penny's clock, letting her know that she was not late for work, when she woke up later. By the time he was done placing the note, it was a little after 10 AM and Penny's cell phone rang, he quickly picked it up and looked to see who was calling. It was Cheryl, Penny's friend from work, so he answered, because he had met her several times before, so they knew each other.

"Cheryl, this is Leonard, Penny is asleep." he told her.

"Oh, hi Leonard, I was a little worried about Penny. because I thought she would really have to be sick to miss work. She has been working and asking for more shifts lately because of her money situation, so her not being here concerned me." Cheryl blurted out.

'Money Situation!' the revelation surprising Leonard, so he tried to get more out of Cheryl, "Penny is getting better and should be at work tomorrow, so I wouldn't worry. How are you doing in this money situation?" he asked

"Well as Penny probably told you, customers and tips have been scarce so we are all trying to live with half of what we made before the Holidays. I have some money saved up and I live with my boyfriend so I'm doing OK. Thanks for asking." she stated.

Leonard had heard enough and he didn't like pumping Cheryl for information on Penny, so he told her, "Good to hear you're OK. Like I said Penny is doing better and will probably be in tomorrow. I'll tell her you called."

"Tell her I hope she feels better. Goodbye." Cheryl ended her conversation.

Leonard managed a 'Goodbye' before Cheryl hung up, then sat there thinking about what she had said. 'Everything that had happened and she was upset about was about money?' he thought, 'Why couldn't she have talked to me about that?' Leonard couldn't make any sense of it, he knew Penny had issues with telling anyone about her feelings, but now she couldn't even talk to him when she needed money. She rather kill herself working than ask her boyfriend for a little help, he just couldn't understand it. He thought about it for a while and finally came to a conclusion that he could not put out of his mind, 'What do I mean to her?' Leonard didn't know why but he felt tired, so he went to Penny's luggage bag and took out the envelop, stuffed with money, put it on her coffee table, then wrote Penny a note, in case she woke before he got back. Leonard then got up to go to his apartment to get dressed and ready for the day.

Leonard entered his apartment to find Sheldon and Amy sitting on the couch eating cereal. It was late for Sheldon to be eating, but the disheveled look he had sort of explained why he was off schedule. Leonard sort of wanted to talk, not to Sheldon, but Amy was there, so he sat in his chair and sighed, which Amy immediately took that something was wrong between him and Penny.

"Leonard is something wrong between you and Penny?" She asked and Sheldon just stared at Leonard

"Yeah, something happened and I'm not sure if there is anyway to fix it." Leonard stated with a look that clearly showed he was upset.

Amy thought of the conversation she and Bernadette had with Penny, six months ago, about her breaking up with Leonard, and figured this had something to do with it.

"Leonard, did you and Penny break up." she asked with a little bit of sympathy.

Sheldon now thought he knew were this conversation was heading and spoke up, "Leonard, I knew this trip of yours was a bad idea, Penny was thinking of breaking up with you for the last six months and now you pushed her to make a decision. Now I am going to have to put up with your bellyaching over her again." Sheldon had already set blame on Leonard for his hang over, and was not amused at him now, complaining about his silly problems with Penny again.

Leonard just stared at Sheldon and then at Amy, "She told you she wanted to break up with me six months ago!" he blurted out.

Amy felt sad for him, "Sorry Leonard, but yes, six months ago, we couldn't tell you because we…um, just couldn't."

Leonard felt pain in his heart, he felt lost, and all he wanted to do was just run. Leonard stood up and walked to his room without saying another word. In his room he quickly got dressed, then headed to the front door, not even hearing Amy and Sheldon calling his name. He didn't remember going down the stairs and going out the door, but as soon as he was through the door, he started running. Leonard was never a runner so he did not get far before he was physically spent and needed his inhaler. He took a few breathes, from his inhaler, started to breathe normally, and just started walking, trying not to cry as he went. He didn't even think were he was going, because he was just going to walk until the pain stopped, at least that is what his troubled mind thought. So Leonard just walked, and thought to himself, until only one thought kept replaying in his mind, 'Why am I such a horrible person that she doesn't want to be with me!'

Penny woke at about 1PM feeling a lot better than the day before and even hungry. The bright light coming through her curtains made her quickly wonder what time it was so she looked at her clock only to see a note from Leonard, to read the note on the coffee table. Curious and now awake she got out of bed and walked to her living room to find Leonard's note. On her coffee table, Penny found his note and under it was a sealed thick envelope.

'Penny, I called in your work and told them you were sick, so you don't have to go in today.' Penny was feeling disappointment after reading the first sentence of his note but he was right she was still a little to weak for work. She had a moment regret about the money she was loosing until she read the second sentence, 'The envelope below has your winnings from the Craps table, Saturday Night. I hope it fixes you money problems.' Penny looked at the envelope and opened it, her jaw dropped. The envelope was full of money, not just money, $100 bills, they were all $100 bills, she couldn't believe it, she just stared at it and she still couldn't believe it. She looked at the note again, 'There is $8400 in the envelope, after taxes. I hope you are feeling better. Leonard.'

'$8400,' she still couldn't believe it, just like that her money problems, of the last month, were over. Then it hit her, Leonard did this, he made things better for me, he fixed it, he's so wonderful and amazing, but how did he know? Penny needed to talk to him now, so she got her robe and slippers and went across the hall to find him.

Penny knocked on the door, then came in to find Amy and Sheldon standing in the kitchen talking. They both looked at her weird, really weird and she wondered what was wrong.

"Where's Leonard?" she asked them. "Is he in his room?"

Sheldon and Amy looked at each other then gave Penny the weird look again.

"We don't know." Sheldon responded.

"Penny, you broke up with him, he is sort of devastated right now." Amy added.

Penny now had the weird look on her face, "What did you say?"

"Penny, he was upset and we tried to talk to him but he got more upset, then just ran out of here." Amy said

"Where did he go?" Penny was now really confused and concerned.

"Penny we just told you, we don't know." Sheldon stated matter of factly

"Penny he didn't say anything, he just left." Amy explained

Penny turned to leave, but as she did, she saw the bowl the boys used for their keys and Leonard's car keys where there. She thought she knew where he could be, so she left the apartment, to the stairs and up to the roof. A very strong feeling of disappointment and a little bit of despair came over her when, on the roof, she realized Leonard wasn't there. 'Where was he', she thought, as she slowly returned down the stairs to her apartment.

Penny just sat on her couch staring at the money and wondering what was happening. Why would Leonard think they were broken up, how did he know about her money situation and where was he, she kept rolling around in her mind. She decided she needed to address one problem at a time and the first one was where was Leonard. She wanted to talk to him, no she needed to talk to him, and she wanted to hold him, needed to hold him, her emotions were all over the place right now. She looked at the money and thought that somehow it was the blame for all that was happening now, and began to hate the sight of it. She put it in the envelope and then in a drawer, so she wouldn't have to look at it right now, then went in her room to get dressed, she had to look for Leonard.

Leonard had been walking a couple of hours now, and the pain hadn't stopped just felt different. He thought that the money couldn't be the problem, Penny would have talked to her boyfriend about money, no she was trying to figure out how to break up with him. He thought he had figured it out, just like Kurt had told him years ago when he tried to get him to pay her back, 'He was just a stupid nerd. Why would Penny want to be with someone like him when she could be with someone like Kurt.'. Penny probably just felt sorry for him and was being nice to him, because that was the way she was, that's all. His life hadn't really changed, girls still didn't want to be with him in relationship, yeah he got more sex than he was young, but having sex without love was a little empty. He just couldn't get Penny out of his mind, her lips, her touch, her smile, her laugh, she was just perfect and now it was all over. A tear fell from Leonard's eye as he kept walking to nowhere.

Penny was sitting at a light, she had been driving around for the last half hour and was realizing that Leonard could be anywhere. She never realized how many streets and roads there were, that Leonard could have taken away from the apartment. She was loosing hope of ever finding him and she was getting very discouraged. She heard a horn, and quickly realized she had been still sitting at the light, after it had turned green, so she hit the gas and started to make her way back to their apartment building. 'Where was he!', kept going through her mind, it was an answer she couldn't resolve, and she slowing was starting to get a little scared.

It was late afternoon that Leonard started to walk onto the campus of Cal Tech and to his office. He had never realized he was walking that way, his mind was on autopilot and it took him there. It had been a three day holiday weekend for him but even today some of his colleagues were there, so him being there was not out of place. He was a little tired from walking, so he just went to his office, locked the door and just sat at his desk staring out his window.

Penny just sat at her couch and looked at her phone, she wanted to call Leonard, but he had left his phone on her coffee table next to hers. It was already past six in the evening and no one knew where Leonard was, and it was dark! She got jerked out of her trance by a knock on her door and Bernadette's voice, "Penny, it's Bernadette and Amy, can we come in?"

"Doors open." Penny needed some one to talk to.

Bernadette and Amy found seats near Penny and looked at her for a few seconds before Bernadette started speaking.

"Penny did you break up with Leonard?" Bernadette asked very matter of factly.

"NO!, I don't know. I don't think so." she replied

"Penny what happened?" Bernadette said with a little sympathy.

"I don't know, he was gone when I got up and he left this note." Penny gave the note to Bernadette, who read it and passed it to Amy.

"What money problems is he referring to?" Bernadette asked.

"I don't have enough money to pay my bills. The last month has been really bad at work and I have only been making half as much, so I don't have the money for my bills. But he couldn't know that, I never told him." she confessed.

"You never told anyone and we are your friends. I can understand not telling us but why not your boyfriend? Penny did you really think not telling him was going to be OK with him, when he found out?" Bernadette accused.

"I don't know. It was my problem. I needed to fix it. I'm sorry." she said

Bernadette looked at her and began again, "Penny did you ever talk to Leonard about how you felt six months ago, about how your love was "boring"?"

"No." Penny said in a very small little girls voice.

"Why not!" Bernadette's statement sounded like an accusation and Penny wanted to just crawl deeper into the couch she was sitting on.

"Things got better, he showed me his amazing work, and things got better, then that thing happened with Cole from school and I told Leonard I loved him. Things were better." she said

"YOU TOLD LEONARD, YOU LOVE HIM!" Amy blurted out, her eyes wide in shock.

Bernadette continue, a little in shock also, "You never told us and Leonard never told the guys, otherwise Howard would have told me."

"I told him it was not big deal and we shouldn't make a big deal about it." she said.

Bernadette's eyes hardened, "Not a big deal! Leonard has loved you for years and only wanted your love in return and it's not a big deal!" Bernadette just shook her head.

"I'm sorry Penny, we didn't know. When Leonard came from your apartment upset, we thought you had broken up and Sheldon told him it had been coming for six months. We didn't know it was a money problem he was talking about, he seemed so hurt." Amy confessed.

"It's not your fault, Amy." Bernadette said, "It's Penny's fault."

Penny just stared at her friend in shock. Amy was in shock, too.

Bernadette just looked into Penny's eyes, "Penny you were right before, you don't deserve Leonard. All you do is hurt him. I have never seen a more tortured soul in my life. Leonard adores you. He deserves better!"

For the next few seconds you could hear a pin drop in Penny's apartment

"But, I love him." Penny barely got out of her mouth

"Do you Penny? I have no question that he loves you! But do you love him. He wants a real relationship, one with trust, mutual understanding, and communication. Does he have that with you? Penny he wants to marry you in the future and make your world with him wonderful. What do you want Penny?" Bernadette was a little worn out. She had wanted to tell Penny this for a while. Penny needed to wake up and make some kind of commitment. Penny and Leonard belonged together, but something wasn't working and she truly believed it was Penny who was the problem.

Silence. Penny felt like she had been beaten up. She didn't know if she should be mad or just cry. She looked at Bernadette and hoped she would say more, tell her what to do, but Bernadette looked at her closed lipped. Penny looked at Amy, but she was still a little shocked and was not about to say anything. Penny didn't know what to say, her mind was just a jumble of thoughts and none of them would come together into words.

Bernadette realized Penny wasn't going to say anything soon. Penny had a deer in the headlights look on her face. Bernadette couldn't think of any more to say.

"Come on Amy, it is time to go." Bernadette finally said. She then stood up, opened the door and started to head across the hall.

Amy didn't know what to do but follow. She looked at Penny as she left, "I'm sorry." and then closed the door behind her.

All Penny could say was "I.." but nothing else came out before the door was closed and she was alone, again.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Penny just sat on her couch, she was so lonely, she wanted Leonard. The last several hours had been emotional rollercoaster for her and now she felt like she was plunging into abyss. Penny didn't know what to do, she sat there with her head in her hands completely disorientated, not knowing where to turn to make things right. She just wanted to have Leonard to hold her so she could just cry.

Time had become meaningless, she just ran things, that had happened, over and over in her mind. Bernadette was right, it was her fault and now she had lost Leonard, again. She was not a good girlfriend, she was more of a bitch and all she ever did was hurt Leonard. Maybe he was better off without her, maybe she didn't deserve him, but she wanted him and she loved him. 'I love you Leonard. Please come back.' she thought, 'I'm so sorry. Please come back.'

'What is wrong with me?' Why do I do these things?' She kept telling herself. She wanted so much to understand, so she could fix it, why couldn't she fix it. Penny was trying to understand, she had never had to deal with a man like Leonard, one who totally loved her and thought of her before himself. Leonard, made her realize what love really was and now she understood that no man had really ever loved her before him. It scared her, because she realized that before with other guys, it was really just a game, with Leonard it was very serious, it was forever. Forever was a very scary word to her, nothing in her life had been forever, she was afraid, could she could do forever?

Unable to find a solution to her problems, her mind began wander, she thought about her plans for her life and how Leonard fit in them. She thought how she had come to Pasadena with big plans, she was a pretty young teenage girl and she thought that alone would make her a success just because she wanted it to happened. Kurt, at the time, had been her shiny white knight who whisked her off to Pasadena and stardom. The only problem was Kurt was a black knight not a white knight and she didn't know before she could hope to be a star, she needed to be a waitress. She remembered how her time with Kurt, had made her feel insignificant and she almost went home, but when she found him with another girl, she got mad and tired again on her own. Moving into this apartment had been one of the smartest things she ever did, and meeting Leonard and Sheldon was a life changing event. Leonard had really changed her life, the first time she saw him he was so cute and kind, she immediately felt safe with him. She thought about the first time she really kissed him, it sent shivers through her body and she surprised herself because she really wanted him that night, and that scared her. She had wanted him, in some way, ever since, and when he went away for three months she remembered the loneliness and she knew she really cared for him, more than a friend. She had been so stupid before when she broke up with him, he had gone to Priya for love and it made her miserable, she was so happy when they broke up. She should have asked him out and not waited for him, she thought why did she not do that, she couldn't understand why she didn't do that. Was it because, as a friend she still had him but she was safe from commitment, she shook her head and she thought 'Was it?'

'She was getting nowhere.' she thought, 'I still don't know what to do.' 'How do I get Leonard back.' kept going through her mind. 'What do I do?' She felt so helpless, she needed to talk to someone, again, she wanted to talk to…Leonard!. I will try and be better she thought but he needs to come back. What if he goes back to the apartment, to his room, and what if he is there now and doesn't want to see me, how will I know, ran through her mind! 'He just can't leave my life, not like this!' she thought because she realized there was one thing that scared her more than committing for forever, it was right now loosing Leonard forever.

Leonard woke up in his desk chair to a dark office and night outside his window. He didn't know what time it was or really didn't care. He hoped it was really late because he had convinced himself he needed to go back to the apartment and he didn't want to see anyone. His last thoughts, before he fell asleep earlier, was that he had to leave Pasadena and try to start his life over, because this wasn't working. His only problem to this great plan was he still hadn't figured out how he was going to go on without Penny.

Howard, Bernadette, Amy and Sheldon sat and ate takeout in Sheldon's apartment, Raj and Stuart were trying to pick up girls that night, at a club, so it just left the couples. Everyone there was very quiet and were very conscious that there was more than enough food there for Penny and Leonard, too. Bernadette and Amy knew most of what happened, that day, but they ate in complete silence and Howard knew not to ask any questions. After they ate, some words were said during the clean up, but otherwise the night continued with some small talk between Howard and Sheldon, punctuated with long periods of silence. Sheldon suggested they watch one of his favorite science fiction movies and no one objected, so they just sat and stared at the TV. Bernadette scooted closer to Howard, half way through the movie, and Howard knew something was really bothering her, so he just put his arms around her for comfort.

Sheldon was getting all he wanted in a guys and girls night, watching the movie he wanted, eating the regular food he liked and no silly conversation, it was great but the silence was starting even to get to him. He had tried to lighten things up with a interesting piece of information or story several times, but each time Bernadette, Howard and Amy just stared at him and didn't say anything. He couldn't believe it but he was actually missing their tedious conversation, because the silence was unsettling.

The movie was almost over when they heard a knock at the apartment door and Penny walked in. She stopped and stood there a moment, looking at them, not saying a word, then she resumed her walk through the living room to Leonard's room. She was wearing her robe and carrying her pillow, looking like she was ready for bed and they heard Leonard's door open then close. Sheldon was the first to react.

"What is Penny doing. That was rude for her just to walk in and go to Leonard's room." he said with just a hint of anger.

"Let her go Sheldon, drop it." Bernadette told him

"Sheldon, Bernadette is right. Leave it alone." Amy reassured him.

"But this is my apartment. She just can't waltz in here and…" he didn't get to finish.

"Sheldon it is social convention when you friend and girlfriend are have problems, and trying to fix them, that you stand back and let them do what they need to do." Amy told him.

"Leonard and Penny are getting back together!" Sheldon said with a little surprise.

"Maybe." Bernadette stated and then quietly to only Howard, "I'll tell you later." as she squeezed his hand.

Sheldon didn't know what to say or do, social convention was social convention, and the girls seemed to understand this all, so he just said, "All right." Amy just smiled at him.

"Well we probably need to go. Goodnight Amy, Sheldon." Bernadette stated.

"Me too." Amy stated, then added, "Thank you for a wonderful day Sheldon."

Sheldon has a very small smile on his face, probably only Amy recognized, "Your welcome, Amy Farrah Fowler, drive carefully home."

Amy, Bernadette and Howard walked down the stairs together and Howard made sure Amy got safely to her car. Amy got in her car then looked at Bernadette.

"Will they get back together?" she asked.

Bernadette just stood and thought for a moment, "I don't know Amy, I just don't know."

Amy said goodbye and left, Howard and Bernadette got in their car and started to drive home.

"Ok, you are killing me here, what is happening between Leonard and Penny?" Howard asked.

"It is sort of a long story." she said

"I've got all night." he responded

Bernadette smiled for the first time tonight, "Ok, remember when I told you Penny was thinking of breaking up with Leonard six months ago, well….." They talked all the way home.

Leonard walked into his dark apartment about midnight. After he had woke up in his office, he had walked to a coffee shop near campus to kill time and sat there till he felt that everyone was asleep, to make sure he didn't run into anyone when he got home. He caught a cab back and went up the stairs with a little apprehension, hoping that he didn't run into anyone he knew. He really didn't know what he was going to do tomorrow, but tonight he didn't think he have to face anyone, which made going home bearable. He moved as quietly as he could so to not wake up Sheldon, who actually heard everything but obeyed Amy's wish to stay out of it. Leonard opened his door and turned on the light and saw something he never expected to see again in his life, Penny was in his bed and she was opening her eyes to look at him.

Leonard's mind screamed, 'NO', and his knees suddenly felt weak. He was paralyzed, stuck between falling down, crying, and running away again. He had just gotten strong enough to come home, he was not prepared to see her, especially in his bed.

The light woke up Penny, who was in a light sleep, and seeing Leonard standing there instantly brought her wide awake. Leonard's face was so full of sadness and despair, she even saw what she thought was a tear in his eye, and she knew she had done this to him. He was hurting so bad, she got up on her knees in the bed and looked into his eyes, "Leonard, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Leonard couldn't do this, he couldn't deal with this situation, it was overwhelming to him, so he turned and walked out of the bedroom. He slowly walked to the living room, sat on the couch and put his head in his hands.

Penny knelt there for a couple seconds, trying to figure what to do. This was much worse that she had thought it would be. The expression on his face, she had never see him look like that before. She got up and went to follow him then saw his form sitting on the couch. She sat next to him and put her arm around him, he felt cold and shivered when she touch him.

"Leonard, I love you, I'm so sorry." she said softly to him

It was very quiet for a few seconds, then,

"I can't do this." he moaned

She held her breathe trying to understand what he was saying.

'Please, I can't do this now, Please!" he sounded like he was going to cry.

She started to realize what he was saying, he couldn't talk to her and her being there was hurting him. Penny was heart broken, she had made him this way, she had no choice she had to do what he wanted, she couldn't push him. She took her arm off him, he didn't move, she kept telling herself she had to get up, but her legs didn't want to work, she didn't want to leave. She finally willed her legs to move and slowly stood up, and walked towards the door, looking at him the whole time. He never moved.

Penny left Leonard's and went to her apartment, she was having a little trouble breathing, so after she closed her door she just leaned back against it to try and calm herself. Her apartment seemed so dark and cold, she felt so alone. She slowly pushed off from the door and walked to her bedroom, crawled into bed, buried herself deep into the cold covers, and cried.

Leonard had basically given up, when she had her arm around him. While he sat there, unable to move, he had heard her say she loved him and she was sorry, but she could have said anything, he was unable to resist anything she did right. It had just hurt so much to be around her right now, he just couldn't be around her. He sat there a long time, after she left, until he felt he could move again, then he went to bed. He laid on the bed, basically gone mentally, and he really didn't care what happen next to him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Morning came waking Leonard, he didn't know how he felt, because he was still a little numb. He looked at the clock and knew if he timed it right, he could interact with Sheldon for as little as possible. He got up and started to get ready and was relieved that not talking to Sheldon during the morning, just made Sheldon talk less. Sheldon hardly said anything all morning, even on the way to work and never mention Penny the whole time, which Leonard silently appreciated. After they parked at Cal Tech, Leonard just told Sheldon he would see him after work, then rushed to his office and locked his door. Leonard ended up being pretty much useless at work, that day, he just caught up on emails and did paper work, hidden in his office. He didn't go to lunch with his friends, either and just ate something from the vending machine. Raj, Howard and even Sheldon were concerned, but they just let him have his solitude.

Penny had stayed up most of the night crying and staring at the ceiling. She had fell asleep between 4 to 5 AM in the morning, so when her alarm went off at 9 AM she should have been tired, but she just got up and got ready for work. She always was defensive when Sheldon said her job was menial and mindless, but today she was glad it was mindless. She worked the whole day on autopilot, her mind thinking about everything that happened since only Friday, trying to understand it all and failing. Her friends, like Cheryl, thought she was still recovering from being sick, so they just let her alone.

Sheldon's drive home with Leonard was the same as his drive to work that morning, quiet. Amy, told him to let Leonard be, but he was thinking that Leonard was being really unfair to Sheldon, who had interesting things to say. However, Sheldon thought that maybe it was for the best that Leonard not be talking, because he didn't want to hear about Leonard's failed relationship with Penny, he had already suffered that when they broke up last time.

Once Leonard parked the car, he just went up the stairs to their apartment as quickly as he could, went in the apartment, and into his room. Sheldon didn't see him the rest of the night, with didn't bother him too much, since he was on the internet most of the night. Leonard tried to do a little work but mostly laid in his bed looking at the ceiling until he feel asleep. Tuesday was over for Leonard.

Penny left work at 10 PM and drove straight home. She slowly walked up the stairs to the fourth floor, stopping on the fourth floor landing to look at Leonard's door. She let out a small sigh, then went into her apartment, it was just as dark and cold as it was the night before. She was really tired, so she just got ready for bed and went asleep. Tuesday was over for Penny.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were the same for Leonard. Drive to work, stay in office, then go home to bed. Sheldon saw Leonard a couple times, those nights when he made something to eat, before he went back in his room. Sheldon was actually happy when Friday night came around, because he was a little tired of his own company and everyone was going to meet at Raj's for take out and a movie. Sheldon's anticipation of a fun evening was evident by his waiting at the door of the apartment building for Amy, to pick him up after her work, on her way to Raj's.

Everyone, except Leonard and Penny, was sitting at Raj's when Howard and Bernadette came with the take out order. The food was distributed quickly and people settled into eating. Bernadette took one bite of food, chewed and swallowed then looked at Sheldon.

"Sheldon, how are Leonard and Penny doing?" she asked

Sheldon was a little confused at first but quickly recovered saying, "I don't know how Penny is doing because I haven't seen her since we returned from Las Vegas, but Leonard is moping around so much and stays in his room, it is like I am living alone."

"You haven't seen Penny!" Bernadette was surprised

"No, I heard her Monday night talking to Leonard for a few minutes, when he came back to the apartment, but then she left and he went to bed later." Sheldon stated.

Bernadette didn't say anything else, but just ate her food, lost in thought. The rest of the night went pretty quickly, they watched a Science Fiction movie the guys liked, while Bernadette sat quietly. The movie ended about 9:30 PM and the guys were talking about it when, Bernadette looked very seriously at Amy.

"Amy, you want to do a sleep over tonight?" Bernadette suddenly surprised Amy with.

"Really, you and me?" Amy asked.

"You, me and Penny." Bernadette responded

"Ok, Yes of course." Amy responded

"Howard, you take Sheldon home and I'll see you in the morning, Honey." Bernadette stood up and gave Howard a kiss, then turned to Amy, "You ready to go?"

Amy grabbed purse and keys, "See you later Sheldon, guys." and she was out the door with Bernadette.

Howard, Raj and Stuart stared at the door the girls just closed behind them. Sheldon just smiled, "Alright, now we can watch part 2."

The Cheesecake Factory was now closed and Penny walked out to her car with the other waitresses, tired from the day. As she approached her car she saw Bernadette and Amy standing behind Amy's car, that was parked next to Penny's. Penny cringed for a second at seeing them, remembering their last talk, but she soon thought better and was really happy to see them, because she had been so lonely the last couple of days.

"Hi, Penny." Bernadette and Amy said almost in unison

It made Penny smile, "Hi guys, What's up?"

"We came to kidnap you for a girls night and sleepover at Amy's." Bernadette told her

"I really….OK, sure." she said, "Let me get my stuff and another uniform, for work tomorrow, and I'll meet you there in a little bit."

"Ok, but don't make us come looking for you." Bernadette said with a fake stern face.

Penny hurried home, got her stuff and headed to Amy's as fast as she could, she just wanted to be with somebody. When, she got to Amy's, the girls just fell into their normal girls night routine and she just talked and laughed with the friends, it was wonderful, she realized she had really missed them. They finally watched a funny romantic movie, then turned in for the night. Amy slept in her bed and Penny and Bernadette slept on air mattresses on the floor of Amy's living room. No sooner than Penny laid down and got comfy, Bernadette started to talk.

"Penny, What is going on with you and Leonard?" Bernadette said softly to Penny

Penny wanted to talk to someone about Leonard so, "Bernadette things are so screwed up I don't know what to do." Penny was trying to be a quite as she could but it was hard, "I haven't seen him since Monday and then he was so hurt, I never saw him like that before."

"Did you guys get a chance to talk about your problems?" Bernadette asked

"No, he said he couldn't deal with things now, and he wanted me to leave. I didn't know what to do, so I left. It was so hard Bernadette." Penny's voice was full of regret

Bernadette laid in silence, she didn't know what to tell Penny.

"Bernadette, tell me what to do, I don't know what to do." Penny pleaded

"I don't know what to tell you Penny, but to wait and see right now." Bernadette said. "Leonard loves you, you know that. Maybe he just needs time." She couldn't think of anything better to say right now.

Penny just laid there and said "OK".

Penny and Bernadette wished each other good night. Even though Penny was a little upset about talking about Leonard, being able to talk to someone about what was happening was still a relief. She was tired and fell asleep quickly, sleeping the best she had in over a week, because at that moment she didn't feel alone.

The next morning Amy and Bernadette talked and had coffee with Penny as she got ready for work. Penny really enjoyed their company, the night with them had really lifted her spirits. She went to work that day a little happier and everyone at worked noticed the change in her and thought she had finally got over her sickness.

Bernadette left Amy's about noon, after they had talked about Penny and Leonard for a little while. Bernadette decided to try one more thing for her friend. Before going home she drove to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, she wanted to talk to Leonard.

Sheldon opened the door when he heard the knocks and was slightly surprised. "Bernadette, is Howard with you?" he asked

"No Sheldon, I want to talk to Leonard." she stated

"He is still in his room, I haven't seen this morning yet." he replied

"Thank You, Sheldon." was all she said as she walked back to Leonard's room

Leonard heard the knock on his door and instinctively said "Not now Sheldon."

"Are you decent, because I'm coming in." Bernadette warned him

Leonard was shocked, Bernadette wanted to come in his room, why? He pulled up the covers over himself and said, "OK, I'm covered."

Bernadette came in and closed the door behind her, then stood there a minute in thought.

"Leonard what is going on between you and Penny?" She said, shocking him.

Leonard look down at the sheets, "I really don't want to talk about it." he said

"Leonard you know you are hurting Penny really bad being like this, don't you." she told him

Leonard just looked at Bernadette, then he looked down at his sheets again, this isn't what he wanted to happen, he thought. He was hurt, he didn't really want to hurt Penny, he loved her, he would never intentionally hurt her. After a few seconds he looked back at Bernadette and she had a look on her face that looked very sympathetic, he thought.

Bernadette saw all the emotions cross his face and felt sorry for him. Penny and Leonard belonged together, why did it have to be so tough for them, she thought.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt Penny." Leonard finally got out.

"Leonard you need to talk to her. You haven't talked to her since Monday and then you asked her to leave. How do you think it feels for her. She is hurting too Leonard." Bernadette said these words softly to Leonard because she didn't want him to feel guilt, she just wanted him to understand.

Leonard just nodded his head and said "OK." Bernadette nodded and turned to go out the door and Leonard added "Thank you Bernadette." which made her stop.

Bernadette wanted to tell Leonard everything was going to be OK, if they talked it out, but she really didn't know if it was. They were both in bad places right now, and she didn't know if they could go back to the way they were. So in the end, she just said "Your Welcome Leonard" and shut the door behind her.

Bernadette drove home thinking, she hoped that she had did the right thing. When she got there she threw herself into Howard's arms and held him for a long time and kissed him as passionately as she could. Howard thought something was bothering her so he just hugged her back and he knew she would probably would tell him later, but right now he knew she just needed him to comfort her.

Penny had completed another long work day and she slowly walked up the stairs to the fourth floor, a little tired from it, thinking again, she would just go to sleep. As she approached the top of the fourth floor landing she slowed on the last few steps and looked at Leonard's door, like she had been doing every day. She stood there for a second, then turned to her own apartment door and stopped dead in her tracks. Leonard was sitting on the stairs going to the next floor, he was looking at her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Leonard had watched Penny come to the top of the stairs, stop and look at his apartment door. He then got a glimpse of her face when she turned, before she saw him. Her face had a look of extreme sadness, which made him realize that everything Bernadette had said about his actions hurting her were true. He never intended this, he realized that he had only thought of himself, the last couple days, and not her, he felt terrible. When she saw him she was surprised, but now she looked tentative and maybe a little scared. He had to make this right some how, he thought, he needed to talk to her and get this over, then she would get better.

Penny had stopped breathing for a second when she saw him, now her mind was filled with every emotion she had ever experienced. He had an unreadable expression on his face and he was staring right at her. She wanted to go to him and hug him, but she knew she couldn't because she didn't know what he wanted from her. So she just stood there waiting for him to do or say something because she was really too scared to do anything.

"Penny, I guess….no sorry, I mean we need to talk." he felt tongue tied.

"Ok," she was having trouble getting her words out, "Yes, of course. Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, its probably be better if we talked in your apartment." he said.

Penny's hands were a little shaky as she unlocked her door and let them both in. She was hoping beyond hope they were going to settle this and things would go back to the way they were before. She wanted to be in his arms tonight, she would say she was sorry for everything, if he would just be with her again.

Penny and Leonard sat on Penny's couch at opposite ends and just looked at each other for a moment. Leonard mustered up all the strength he had and moved a little closer to her, and found himself almost reaching for her hand. She moved a little closer to him, fidgeting with her hands, staring down at his hands, then at him. Whenever they sat so close they naturally held hands and now them not doing it felt awkward to both of them.

"Penny, I am so sorry if I hurt you these last few days. It has been hard for me and I guess I just retreated from the world. I was so wound up in myself, I forgot about what it was doing to you. I'm sorry." he stopped to take a breathe.

Penny was about to tell him how sorry she was for hurting him but he started talking again.

"Penny, I was just having a hard time of it, I'm sorry. When I heard everything Monday, I thought I had lost you again and to tell you the truth, I don't know how we stand even now. I still feel numb and my heart still hurts. I'm afraid I love you too much, I guess, I don't know any other way to put it." he was looking at his hands now.

Penny was confused, she didn't know exactly what Leonard was leading too, all she knew for sure was he said he loved her. That is good right, she thought. She was not sure if she should say anything now, until he has said all he wanted to say, so she just listened.

"Penny, I have been thinking a lot, the last few days, and I cannot see a future for us. I really feel that I am or have been trapping you in a relationship, you don't want. I can now see I am not the one you want in your life. I guess, I was just so in love with you, and wanted to be with you so much, I couldn't see what was going on around me." He was about to cry now, so he stopped to regain his composure.

Penny couldn't believe her ears, she was hearing him but she didn't believe what he was saying. "Leonard, what are you talking about?" was all she could say.

He looked at her with the saddest eyes she every saw and then he looked back at his hands, "Penny, I can't go on like this. I can't do it, what happened Monday almost did me in, I'm just not as strong, when it comes to you, as I thought. This week I realized that being with you from now on, I will always be waiting for the next break up, and I will always have that fear."

'Oh My God!' she thought, 'What is he saying!' to him, "Leonard, are you telling me that

you can't be with me anymore, and we are through?" she was about to cry, she didn't want this to be happening.

"Won't that be better for you? I mean, Penny you have been thinking about breaking up with me, I know I'm not being the guy you want and I'm always making you uncomfortable and pushing you into things. You don't have to be nice, I accept who I am now, you can just end it while I am able to accept it." he was having trouble saying the right words, he was hoping she understood. He was giving her a out without the regret, she had the last time she broke up with him.

'This is not happening' she thought. She had to keep it together, she had to fix this. She felt like she was sledding down a snow covered hill, back in Nebraska when she was a child, and there was a tree at the bottom and she was going to hit it hard. She felt like there was nothing she could do, she was going to hit and it was going to really hurt.

"Leonard, please don't say these things. This is not what I want.." she couldn't say anymore or she would cry.

Leonard didn't say a thing, he just looked down at her hands. This was not going the way he had planned out in his head this afternoon. He had wanted to let her know she could leave him and he would understand, so she wouldn't feel guilty for leaving him. He just wanted her to be happy. He would then try to figure out his life without her, probably somewhere else.

"Penny, I'm not getting this out right." he swallowed hard, "Penny, I want you to know that I am prepared and I think I can take it this one last time. I can't go on and do it later, Penny, so I know you have been thinking about it, it is better to do it while we are in this place now. Doing it now will be easier on me and you, and we'll be able to go our separate ways better than the last time."

She was stunned and she couldn't believe what Leonard just said. She thought she heard him wrong, he couldn't have said that, her mind wouldn't accept it. She looked at him, he was staring at her hands, fidgeting, obvious nervous, she realized he did say it. He believed she didn't want him anymore, she never talked to him and this is where it got her. She felt horrible, she did this to him, made him not trust their love.

Leonard knew he wasn't saying the right things, he never did, he was such an idiot. He however had thought about her rejecting what he was saying. She didn't really think things out like him, she acted on how her gut felt in situations and he knew if she really thought it out, she would understand and it would end. If she had time away from him she would understand she didn't want him and maybe that she didn't love him that way. He was going to see this through with her, even though it was killing him, she had to be made to understand. She would be happy after this was over.

He took a breathe and thought 'here it goes' then said "Penny, I'm going to move away, I can't be around here seeing you anymore, and after I am gone you'll see this is for the best. You'll have your life back, with me not around, you can move on and find the real man of your dreams. You'll be happy." That was it, he couldn't say anymore, he didn't know how he held it together for so long, he wanted to hold her so badly, he had to get out of there. Leonard stood up, walked out of her apartment and out of her life. It was the hardest thing he ever did in his life.

Penny sat there in shock, watching him standing up and walking out the door. She sat there, not believing what happened, she told herself she must be dreaming, this was not happening. As the minutes went by, it slowly sunk in, Leonard was gone and she was alone. She just kept sitting on the couch, what was she going to do, she never thought she would be without him. Before, Priya had scared her to death, she thought she had lost him to her and now she lost him on her own.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Penny was still on her couch thinking about Leonard and how she had drove him away. She was realizing that she had never really believed she would loose him again, after they had got back together. Since after that time, six months ago, when she questioned them staying together, things had changed and she even started to think about their lives together, marriage and even about how many children they would have. She had gotten smug and had taken him for granted, even acted like he was hers already and she had nothing to worry about, she was an idiot. She sat there, getting more and more upset, until finally she replace regret with resolve, 'No' this was not going to happen. 'No' her mind screamed, 'this is not all his decision, he is not leaving me'. She said to herself, 'I am not breaking up with you, Leonard', 'You are not doing this to me and you. You are not making me break up with you.' she was breathing heavy now, almost crying, her mind racing 'I love you Leonard and I am not doing this.' She stood up, opened her door and went straight to his apartment.

Knock, knock, knock, "Leonard!", Penny yelled. Good, she heard footsteps coming to the door. She wasn't going to let him run away from her. She would corner him in is room if she had to, but he was not running from her. She was a little mad, not at Leonard, but at herself, so she was going to fix this.

The door opened and she was looking a Sheldon and Raj? Penny was confused, "I want to talk to Leonard." she stated and started to enter the apartment. She was half way across the living, heading to his room, when Sheldon said something that stopped her in her tracks, because she couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Penny, Leonard's not here." Sheldon simply stated.

Penny looked at him, not understanding what he is saying, "What?"

"Leonard's not here, he moved into Raj's apartment today and Raj is staying here, until Leonard can find a new place to live." Sheldon stated. Raj just nodded.

Penny didn't know what to say, she said more to herself than Sheldon, "He's gone?"

"Yes, I just said that, he is at Raj's." Sheldon stated again.

Penny started to walked toward the apartment door, unable to say anything else. She was in a little bit of shock, 'He's gone?' was all that was running through her mind. She walked by Sheldon and Raj, when Raj tried to say something in Sheldon's ear.

"Raj, please I don't want your germy breathe in my ear. I'll tell her." he said to Raj

Penny stopped to look at Sheldon.

Sheldon started, "Penny, Leonard wanted us to let you know that he won't come by here again, so you can feel free to come over anytime to visit or eat and you won't have any awkward moments in the hall and stairs. Also, he said he has told us and will tell everyone else that they should not treat you any different because of your breakup because you are still our friend. He also told me to take care of Penny, but I'm not sure if I was suppose to tell you that or not."

Penny just looked at Sheldon, she managed to get out without crying, "Thank You, Sheldon." Then she turned and went straight to her apartment. Once inside her apartment, she went to her bedroom, fell on her bed and started to cry. "Take care of Penny", 'No Sheldon, you weren't suppose to tell me, he was telling you to take care of me, because he was going." she was balling now, between sobs repeating, "No, Leonard, No, Leonard, No." She cried herself to sleep.

Leonard drove to Raj's apartment, hardly thinking what he was doing, his thoughts were all about Penny. He had thought about what he had to do after Bernadette left and realized if he set Penny free, he couldn't be around her anymore. Seeing her and not being able to touch her or seeing her with other men was too much for him, anymore. He had actually fell more in love with her after they had gotten back together, that is why he did that stupid thing of asking her to marry him while they were having sex, and now it hurt more then when he lost her before.

Leonard parked his car and walked into Raj's apartment with tears in his eyes. He walked by the boxes he had packed that afternoon, and went straight to the bedroom, closed the door, put his back to it, then slid down it sitting in a ball on the floor, wondering if he had done the stupidest thing in his life. He had this all planned out this afternoon, but during the last hour, since he left her, he could hardly keep it all together and now he couldn't believe how much it hurt. When would he stop hurting so bad, he thought, he loved Penny so much. He sat on the floor for a long time, then finally got up and laid across the bed until he eventually fell asleep.

Penny woke up to knocking at her door, and in her half-awake state she first thought it was Leonard, and practically jumped out of bed. But by the time she reached the door, and was fully awake, she remembered what had happened last night and knew it wasn't Leonard, so she just stopped and looked through the peep hole. She didn't see anyone so, "Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me, Bernadette." the petite blonde responded.

Penny just opened the door then went to the couch, sitting down and pulling her legs to her chest. She was still in her Cheesecake Factory uniform with her makeup a mess on her face.

"I'm so sorry Penny." Bernadette said, walking in.

Penny just looked at her, and everything from last night rushed back into her mind, "He left me!" was all she said before she started crying all over again.

Bernadette went to the couch and hugged Penny, letting her cry.

Bernadette ended up staying with Penny the whole day, she didn't dare leave Penny in the state she was in. Bernadette felt a little bit responsible for what happened, she wondered if her pushing Leonard to talk to Penny may have caused him to make a rash decision. Bernadette decided that whatever happened next between Leonard and Penny she would keep her opinions to herself from now on.

Leonard was not as lucky as Penny, he had no ones shoulder to cry on. Howard came over around noon, but Leonard just told him he would be fine and made him leave. Leonard just sat on the couch until it got dark in the apartment again, then he just went to sleep. He had turned the ringer off on his phone so he never answered any of the calls, listened to voicemails or read any of the texts from his friends or Penny.

Penny finally went to sleep at 10 PM, after Bernadette made her eat something. Bernadette then called Howard and asked him to drop off some clothes and stuff, to her at Penny's, so she could stay the night. Bernadette decided she would stay with Penny until she had to go to work tomorrow morning, just in case Penny needed her. It was a smart decision, she only ended up getting three hours sleep before she woke up to Penny crying in her bed. Bernadette ended up finally falling back to sleep, propped up on Penny's pillows, with Penny sleeping against her, and Bernadette's arm around her.

Morning was welcomed by Leonard, because now he had something to do and somewhere to go. He got up at dawn, wide awake, and immediately started to get ready for work. As soon as he finished getting dressed he left the apartment for work, not wanting to stop and think about anything. He arrived at his office at 6:30 AM, locked his door, turned on his computer and tried to concentrate on the emails waiting for him.

Bernadette woke at 7:00 AM, her back a little sore from not moving most of the night. Penny was still asleep, so Bernadette gently got out of bed, to go into Penny's living room and call her work to tell them she would be a little late this morning. She then called Howard, tell him she was OK and then started up some coffee in Penny's coffee pot. Bernadette was just pouring her first cup of coffee when she saw Penny standing in her bedroom doorway staring at her. "Good morning Penny, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Still pretty bad, but better than yesterday, I guess. Thank You Bernadette." she said, very quietly.

"Want some coffee? Fresh pot." Bernadette asked

Penny gave her a little smile and came over to the kitchen counter, "Thanks." then took a cup and filled it with coffee.

Penny and Bernadette talked, drank coffee and ate a couple of pop tarts for the next hour, then both girls got ready for work. Penny told Bernadette she needed to work, needed the routine, so she didn't think too much. Bernadette saw the logic in it and told Penny she would see her tonight after she got off.

Penny smiled, "Thanks, I would like that."

Bernadette walked Penny down the stairs and watched her drive off before she went to work. Bernadette had never seen Penny so sad and upset, this time was much worse then after the first time Penny and Leonard broke up. She wondered how poor Leonard was doing and called Howard.

"He's at work, because we saw him walking in the hall, about an hour ago, but he is staying mostly in his office and he isn't talking to anyone." Howard said, answering Bernadette's question.

"Howie, they are both a mess, I'm really worried. They love each other, but for some reason they are not able to be together and it's really hurting them. They belong together, they just can't get it through their thick skulls!" She responded.

"I know. What do you want me to do?" Howard asked.

"Nothing Honey. There is nothing you can do. It's up to them now. Howie, I'm going to Penny's for a hour or so after she comes home so she doesn't feel alone again. She is still hurting and I'm worried." Bernadette responded.

"Ok, do what you have to do. I'll wait up for you." Howie said.

"Thank you honey. I love you, Howie." Bernadette said

"I love you, too." Howard responded, "Bye."

"Bye" Bernadette closed her phone, started her car and headed to work. She decided to work late today, to make up the morning, and then go to Penny's tonight.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Leonard stayed in his office most of the day, only leaving to get something from the vending machine at lunch. Raj and Howard stopped by during the day, but he was able to run them out after telling him he was fine and just needed to be alone. He didn't have the will to really do any heavy thinking, but kept busy answering all the email and working on a couple papers, that he was behind on. At about 3 PM in the afternoon, his eyes were hurting, from being in front of the computer all day, so he went to the university cafeteria to get some coffee. Leonard found a table in the corner and with his large coffee, he just sat, thinking of Penny and trying not to cry.

Alex got herself a coffee and went to sit in the cafeteria, she was about to sit when she saw Leonard in the corner. She didn't notice him at first because he wasn't moving, just sitting there staring at his coffee cup, something appeared wrong, he looked lost in his thoughts. Alex didn't know if she should go over there, but she really liked Leonard, she liked talking to him, so she walked over.

"Dr Hofstadter…sorry, Leonard, can I sit with you?" Alex asked trying to get his attention.

Leonard slowly came out of his trace, "Oh, Alex, sorry, yeah OK."

Alex sat, watching him the whole time, something was definitely wrong. Leonard gave her a small forced smile then stared at his cup again.

"Leonard, is something wrong?" Alex asked.

"No, Yes, it's nothing." He started to get up.

Alex didn't want him to leave, he looked so sad, she just wanted to hug him. "Leonard, I'm a good listener, if that will help."

Leonard looked at her, he had wanted someone to talk to since this all started and now she was offering to help. He wanted to talk to anybody so bad, so he sat back down. He couldn't look at her, so he just looked at his cup and began.

"Penny and I broke up, and I am really having trouble with it. It really hurts and I don't know what to do." he just blurted out.

Alex took a short quick breath, she couldn't believe what he said, how could anyone hurt him, she thought.

"Leonard, I'm so sorry. Do you want to talk about it. I've got time." she said, then she did something without thinking, she reached over and touched his hand.

Alex's hand touching his, startled him, but he hid his shock and just looked from his cup to her hand. Her hand touching him, so gently, only made him want to talk more, so he looked up at her and was shocked again at the compassion in her eyes. Leonard started talking to her and emptied his grief on her, for over an hour, until he was spent.

Alex, just sat there, trying to not cry why listening to him, he was so hurt, so lost. She let him talk and only answered when in was appropriate, because she realized he needed to get everything off his soul. Sometime while he talked she had put her other hand on his and now he had both of her hands holding them tight, but not too tight, because he was too gentle a person to ever hurt her. Alex felt so sorry for him, but she also wanted him even more, she wanted to be the one he came to from now on, she cared for him.

Leonard stopped talking, he actually felt a little better, he looked at Alex and gave her a small genuine smile. Then he noticed he had her hands in his and he was embarrassed, so he slowly let go of her, and gave her a guarded smile.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have…..Thank you for listening, it helped." he gave her another small smile.

Alex, hated that he let go of her hands, but his smile warmed her heart. She thought she needed to try and put him at ease, he had poured his heart out to her and she didn't want it to seem awkward to be around her, because….because she wanted to be his next girlfriend.

"No problem Leonard, glad I was a help." She saw he was wanting to go back to work and she didn't want him just to leave, "Leonard, I usually finish with Dr Cooper about this time every day and need coffee to relax, if you know what I mean, so if you want to talk again, you know where to find me." she really hoped she didn't sound desperate.

He gave her a little chuckle, "Yeah, I know what you mean, thanks, I'll remember that. Thanks again for listening." and he gave her a smile and left.

She sat there a little longer trying to get her mind around all that had just happened. Leonard had confided in her for the second time since she met him, that gave her a good feeling inside. He was so cute and so sweet, she really liked him a lot, she wanted to be closer to him and she did want to be his girlfriend, she knew that as a fact. She also knew he was vulnerable now, but his girlfriend didn't want him, so why can't she have him, she thought. This Penny was stupid for letting him go, he was amazing and she was really was impressed by him, so it can't be wrong for her to be his rebound girl, she thought. She just hoped he would think she was good enough for him and talk to her some more. She finally convinced herself she would try to get him to be with her and then she got up to head to her early evening study group. She dropped her cold coffee in the garbage, she never drank a drop, but it was worth it, definitely worth it.

Leonard walked back to his office wondering if he had just done the right thing. He felt better having talked about things but he wondered if he should have talked to Alex. He didn't really have an answer, she was nice and he knew she wouldn't reveal their conversation to anyone, so maybe it was OK. 'I guess she is my friend, so it must be OK to talk to her.' he thought and accepted that as his answer. He still hurt pretty bad, but not as bad as earlier, so he went back to his office to work. Leonard finally shut his computer off at 9PM and decided to go home, picking up a pizza on his way back to Raj's apartment.

Penny walked slowly up the stairs to her apartment at 11PM. She had worked till closing, but didn't mind because it kept her from thinking too much. As she reached her door she saw a note: 'Penny, I am across the hall at Sheldon's, come get me when you get home. Bernadette.' Penny was relieved deep down because she didn't want to be alone yet. She went across the hall and went inside to find Bernadette on the couch working on her computer.

Bernadette looked up, when the door opened, and said quietly "Sheldon is asleep." She then got up, gave Penny her laptop and picked up her overnight bag to follow Penny over to her apartment.

After they were both in Penny's apartment, Penny put Bernadette's laptop on the coffee table then dropped into her couch and sighed. Her face was unreadable and she looked really tired.

"Penny, I know I'm asking you this a lot lately, but how are you feeling?" Bernadette asked.

"Bernadette, I feel numb. I feel like a piece of me is missing. I am always on the edge of crying and I can't help it. I really feel that I don't have a future anymore and I don't know why." Penny said quietly just looking at her feet.

"Penny is there anything I can do?" Bernadette asked.

"You being here is a big help. Could you sleep in the bed with me tonight, I would feel better if I knew someone was there with me?" Penny asked

"Sure. Have you eaten anything today?" Bernadette asked. She thought Penny actually looked like she had lost weight and was worried.

"I guess I could eat some soup." Penny just answered.

Penny seemed really tired, so they just ate, talking very little and then got ready for bed. Bernadette made Penny drink a couple bottles of water too, before she finally went to bed, because she looked a little dehydrated. Bernadette laid in Penny's bed, listening to her damaged friend, she thought she hear a couple muffled sobs and felt her shaking a little but Penny fell asleep shortly after she thought she heard and felt them. Bernadette fell asleep thinking how unfair life was, making Penny and Leonard suffer so much.

Leonard finished his pizza, and then felt he just wanted to go to bed. He just didn't want to be up awake and having to think, so he got ready, climbed in bed and laid there thinking of Penny. He didn't know when he fell to sleep.

Dawn again woke Leonard and just like the day before, he got ready and headed to work. Leonard had been hurt by girls several times before, and his way of coping was to immerse himself in his work. Today was the first day of his self prescribed therapy.

Penny got up with Bernadette and sat with her to eat breakfast and drink coffee. While talking, Bernadette finally decided what she needed to do with Penny. Penny needed to be around people to heal, so she needed to stay with Bernadette a while and Bernadette wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Penny, I want you to move in with me and Howard for a little while." She told Penny.

"Bernadette, I don't know." was all Penny said.

"Penny, please you are not thinking too straight right now, so just listen to me, your friend, and stay with me a while. We have an extra room and I would enjoy your company." Bernadette said with a smile.

Penny really didn't want to be alone, more than anything, so she said, "OK, for a little while."

Before she went to work, Penny packed a couple of bags, with over a weeks worth of clothes and work uniforms, with Bernadette's help. Penny actually felt a little better going to work, that day, knowing she wouldn't be alone, in her apartment, when she went to sleep, tonight.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Penny went to Bernadette's apartment, after her dinner shift, and spent the evening with her, while Howard was a Sheldon's for game night. Bernadette made her feel so welcome, she completely forget any thoughts that she was imposing on her and Howard. Amy stopped by for a little while and the girls enjoyed themselves watching a funny light hearted chick flick, which Bernadette picked because it contained no drama, and then they all called it a early night. Penny found herself comfortable at Bernadette's place and slept well that night, knowing Bernadette was just in the next room and she was not alone.

The following evening the gang came over to Bernadette's place and had take out like they normally did. Penny felt awkward, because it was so obvious Leonard wasn't there, and she felt responsible. The get together felt a little more like a wake then a bunch of friends having fun together, for her, so she stayed quiet most of the night. Everyone noticed her mood, but tried to make the best of it the whole night for her anyway. Her mood never got much better that night, but she did realize she had the best friends ever and that made her feel not so bad.

The rest of the week for Penny involved, work, sleep and being with Bernadette and sometimes Amy. It became a routine for her and she needed routine right now, so that was good. She still had an empty feeling, but at least now she could continue her routine without that feeling crippling her. Bernadette had been right again, being around people helped a lot and gave her the strength to face each day. How did Bernadette get so smart, Penny wondered, which made her smile.

Leonard spent the whole week working from early morning to late at night. He was ahead with all his papers and reports and had even caught up most of his email. He knew if he kept this up, his work on the Government grant, would be done in the next two weeks, 4 weeks ahead of schedule, but that was fine, working kept his mind busy. It was Friday afternoon now and looking at the clock he saw it was just past 2 PM. He hadn't seen Alex since he talked to her, the first time, and he felt bad, because it probably looked like he was avoiding her, which he wasn't. She had helped him, by listening and he felt like talking to her, again, so he decided he needed some coffee.

Alex walked into the cafeteria again, like she had been doing all week, hoping she would see Leonard. She knew she was being needy but she couldn't help it, she wanted to see and talk to him again. She figured she blew it with him already, but something inside her would not let her stop hoping, so as she took her coffee to find a seat, then she almost dropped her cup as she saw him sitting in the corner. He was much different today because he was looking right at her and it made her heart flutter, and to her joy, he waved her over. She tried her best to casually walk over to him, but she was so nervous and she hoped he wouldn't notice.

"Alex, hey how have you been?" Leonard casually asked.

Alex took her time sitting down taking a couple of breathes the calm herself. "Good, how about you, you look a lot better than last time I saw you, are you feeling better?" she said the words so fast, they didn't come out the way she intended, 'Stupid, Stupid girl' she thought.

Leonard just smiled, "I'm not as bad, your right, and thanks for listening to me again, it helped."

Alex said quietly, "Your welcome, anytime."

He smiled at her again. Her heard fluttered again, he had the most amazing smile and beautiful eyes, she thought.

"Well thanks again. Sorry I haven't been around, I've been working a lot the last few days, it is sort of my way to cope with things and it has helped, also. I don't want you to think I have been avoiding you because of our conversation." he told her.

'He wasn't avoiding me, he was just working to get over her, that is great' she thought. "No, that is fine, I know you are busy, I'm just happy you could join me today. It is nicer to have someone to talk to while I drink my coffee." she said, hoping he took it right.

"Yeah it is nicer to have someone to talk to over coffee, you're right." He smiled at her again with that wonderful smile.

Leonard and Alex sat and talked to each other for the next hour, about work, her graduate program, the university and even Dr Cooper. Leonard had her laughing hard over some of his Sheldon stories and she loved hearing him tell them. The time flew by so quickly for her, and before long, they had to depart each other's company. Alex was losing her heart to him, and she wanted this beginning friendship to be so much more, even thinking how much she wanted him as her boyfriend. Leonard went back to his office thinking about how Alex was such a nice person and he was really enjoying her friendship.

Saturday morning, while Bernadette made coffee, she heard Penny crying in her room. Bernadette opened the door and saw Penny, laying in the fetal position, her head buried in a pillow, crying her eyes out. Bernadette was so glad she had Penny move in with her because it would have killed her to know that Penny was by herself, like this, with all her grief. She put her arms around Penny and slowly rocked her until Penny's crying changed to small sobs.

"Penny what's wrong honey?" Bernadette asked her, when the time was right.

Her face still buried in the pillow, Penny finally choked out, "Today is Saturday, just a week ago, we were all dressed up having the night of our lives, it was so beautiful and Leonard was so great and I had such a good time, it was magical, and now it is all over, and it was only a week ago and it seems like it was years ago."

Bernadette didn't know what to say, the night was magical, she thought of it as her and Howard's real honeymoon night and she would always remember every detail of it. Penny and Leonard had looked so good together and looked so in love, Bernadette thought they had finally got their relationship straight, but now look at it, Penny was devastated. Bernadette just couldn't think of anything to say to her now.

"Penny, I'm sorry, but sweetie you just have to move on. I know it's hard but that is all you can do." It was a lame thing to tell her, but what else could Bernadette say.

Penny nodded into the pillow and started to cry some more. This day was going to be hell on her and Bernadette wished there was some way to make it better, but couldn't think of a thing. Bernadette just rocked her while she wept and said a little silent prayer that Penny and Leonard would make it through all this pain.

Howard got Raj and went over to Raj's apartment to see Leonard, but Leonard's car wasn't there.

"Dude, where do you think he is?" Raj asked Howard.

Howard shrugged "Beats me."

Howard and Raj stood there a few minutes thinking until finally Howard spoke up, "You want to drive by the university and see if he is at work?"

"Sure, lets go." Raj responded

45 minutes later Raj and Howard walked into Leonard's lab, finding him doing final adjustments on one of his lasers.

"Leonard, it's Saturday, you're suppose to be enjoying yourself, not hiding away in your lab. This working in your lab on weekends is turning you into a stereotype evil scientist, you know." Howard greeted him with.

"Howard's right, dude. The evil scientist thing is reserved for Sheldon, so you have to get out and enjoy the roses, man." Raj added.

"Len…Oh sorry, …Dr Hofstadter, here is the coffee you wanted." Alex froze, standing just inside the door way of the lab with two coffees in her hand. She had walked into his lab, not knowing there was anyone with him and now she was trapped, trying to make it seem casual.

Howard and Raj, were at first surprised by the voice behind them, then shocked when they had turned to see who it was.

Leonard saw Alex's discomfort, also Howard's and Raj's surprise, so he decided why make things up, he wanted them all to be friends, so why not start now.

"Howard, Raj you both know Alex, Sheldon's assistant, and Alex you have seen Howard and Raj around. Howard and Raj are some of my closest friends. Guys, Alex and I have become friends, so don't you dare tell Sheldon, OK." Leonard said to them all.

Howard was a little lost for words, "Yeah, OK, Hi Alex, just call me Howard." Then he shook Alex's hand which made her smile.

Leonard looked at Raj, he was having a hard time again because he couldn't talk. The first time Leonard kidded him, in the cafeteria, when Alex came around, but now it would be just cruel to do that. He had told Alex about Raj's mutism and he felt she had some compassion for him so, "Alex, Raj says hello too, and wants him to call him Raj. If he had a beer in his hand, he would say this more eloquently than me."

Raj got a big smile on his face and nodded putting out his hand. Then Alex did something that made Leonard so proud of her. She took Raj's hand and gently pulled her and him together and gave him a hug. Raj just beamed. Leonard smiled, that was just the most perfect thing to do to put Raj at ease.

They all talked for the next 20 minutes and Howard convinced Leonard to go to a Star Wars, extended cut, movie with them later, of course, Alex was invited too. They then left Leonard and Alex to finish his work in the lab.

Alex felt wonderful, she felt she had just been granted membership in one of the most exclusive clubs in the whole university. These were three of the most brilliant men there, or anywhere, two well know PHDs, leaders in their fields, and an astronaut. Leonard was making her life more and more happy each day, he was amazing.

"Dude, Alex is so sweet, she hugged me." Raj said while he and Howard walked to the car.

"Do you think, they're doing it? I mean, I would certainly do her, if I wasn't married to Bernadette, of course." Howard said to Raj

"She smelled like jasmine and honeysuckle, when she hugged me." Raj said, dreamy eyed.

"Raj, come out of it! All she did was hug you, I have some important issues to discuss with you." Howard exclaimed.

Raj gave him a sour look, "She didn't hug you."

"Ok, OK, she didn't hug me. Now, do you think her a Leonard are doing the nasty?" he asked.

Raj acted a little taken back, "How can you say that about the girl I love?"

Howard sighed, this was getting nowhere, "Raj, do you think Leonard has already replaced Penny with Alex?"

Raj thought a moment, his first answer would have been 'No' but thinking about it, he wasn't sure because Leonard had been acting weird all week. To Howard, "I don't know, he did take advantage of my sister after he broke up with Penny the first time."

"Yeah, that's true. We need to watch them closely tonight, alright.?" Howard said.

"I will definitely be watching Alex closely tonight." Raj said with a smile.

Howard just shook his head and opened the car door.

"Your friends are really nice." Alex said

Leonard chuckled, "Yeah, for a bunch of nerds." He stopped for a second to think, "We are all nerds you know, even Dr. Cooper."

"Oh, I just thought Dr. Cooper was just some evil scientist, one step away from going to the dark side." she said with a smile.

Leonard laughed, "Quoting Star Wars are we. Are we a fan? By the way you are so right about Sheldon, but we usually refer to it as one lab accident away from becoming a super villain."

Alex laughed, "Yes I am a Star Wars fan, but I have to tell you now, I have a crush on Luke."

Leonard smiled, "Well then, I will be sure not to distract you when he is on the screen."

They talked and laughed for the next couple of hours, while Leonard adjusted his laser for an upcoming experiment. Finally, when it got to be late afternoon, they left the university separately, agreeing that Leonard would pick her up, to meet with Howard and Raj later, for the movie.

Alex got to her apartment and immediately went to her closet to pick out something to wear. She could just kiss Howard and Raj, because they had made it so she could spend the whole evening with Leonard. This was so perfect and it would not be awkward either because it was like she had a date with all of them, especially Leonard she thought, and she loved how it was turning out. She went through her clothes looking for the perfect outfit and couldn't help it that her thoughts kept drifting to her upcoming night with Leonard.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Amy came over to Bernadette's after she had dropped Sheldon off, at his apartment, from the train store. They had actually had a nice afternoon, having a casual lunch, him going shopping with her, and finally her returning the favor by taking him to his favorite train store for a hour. She had left him setting up his new "N" gauge train, with his other trains, knowing he would be happy playing with them all night. Seeing Bernadette and Penny now was going to top off a busy and nice Saturday for her, well at least she hoped it would, because now it seemed you never knew what condition Penny was in at the moment.

Bernadette greeted Amy at the door, "Hi Amy, be a little quiet, Penny is still asleep."

Amy walked in and both girls went to Bernadette's couch.

"She hasn't gotten up today yet?" Amy asked, while she looked at her watch.

"No, she got up late this morning, remembered what day it was and started crying. She cried for over two hours until she cried herself to sleep." Bernadette answered.

"I don't understand, what day is it?" Amy asked.

"Well, you know two weeks ago, Saturday, we all had the wonderful evening in Las Vegas and Penny really had a great romantic time with Leonard, so today brings up happy memories and then last week, Saturday night, they broke up, so she just can't deal with it, today." Bernadette explained.

"Oh, of course, I understand now." Amy stated, becoming lost in thoughts.

Bernadette saw Amy's expression change, she was obviously thinking about something, "What's up Amy? You seem deep in thought."

"Bernadette, I have been giving Penny a lot of thought and I want to run something by you. Many psychologists believe that who we are forms when we are about 8 years old and we stay that way unless our environment slowly changes us or we experience a significant emotional event that changes our lives. I would like to postulate that Penny has suffered such a significant emotional event with this breaking up with Leonard. Her feelings for him went much deeper than she let on, so his loss is devastating to her. The crying and overall neediness seems to be a personality change due to these feelings of extreme loss and a resultant loneliness from the breakup. Therefore, she now wants and needs Leonard to overcome these feelings and will probably be this way for a while. It may take a long time for her to heal and it may actually make her scared of love in the long run." Amy was finished.

"I don't know Amy, I really hope you are wrong. But I am a little worried, she doesn't seem to be taking this well at all. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens and just be there for her." with that response, Bernadette sighed.

The girls were quiet for a moment. Finally Bernadette spoke again, "We have another problem Amy. Howard and Raj went to look for Leonard today and found him in his lab working, …with Alex. I just got off the phone with Howard and he told be everything."

"Alex, Sheldon's pretty assistant!" Amy was surprised.

"Yeah, same one." Bernadette stated flatly.

"But it has been only a week since they broke up!" Amy said with a little bit of disbelief.

"I know, but Howard said he didn't know if they were being boyfriend/girlfriend or just friends. She was bringing him coffee after Howard and Raj got there, so they didn't really catch them doing anything. You know when we were grad students we would be at the university on Saturday many times, so maybe it was just a coincidence. Anyway, Howard invited Leonard and Alex to see a Star Wars movie tonight and he is going to try to see what their situation is about." Bernadette explained.

"Poor Penny, what are we going to do or say?" Amy asked

"Nothing Amy. She couldn't handle that and we don't even know if there is anything happening. Telling her something like this would kill her because she would jump to the worst case scenario immediately. Plus you have to promise me you won't breathe a word of this to Sheldon. Promise Amy!" Bernadette said with some desperation in her voice.

Amy looked at her friend and saw the seriousness on her face, "I promise Bernadette, I will say nothing to Penny and never tell Sheldon."

Bernadette and Amy chatted on for about an hour until Penny came out of her room with her robe on. She looked terrible, her eyes were puffy and red from crying and her hair was a mess, but at least she wasn't crying anymore. Bernadette poured and handed a cup of coffee to Penny before she even sat at the counter, which Penny just took with a look of appreciation. They all stayed quiet for a few minutes, while Penny just drank her coffee, Bernadette and Amy just a little worried about what to say to her.

"I'm sorry guys, I know I'm messed up right now. I'm still a little confused and not sure what to do, yet, so just bear with me, OK." Penny just blurted out.

"No problem sweetie, just take you time." Bernadette said trying to sooth her.

"We're here for you Bestie." Amy added.

Penny gave them a little smile, "Thanks."

The girls talked for a little while, Bernadette and Amy avoiding anything about Las Vegas, then they ordered Pizza and had snacks. Penny was forcing herself to enjoy herself but the girls could tell her heart wasn't totally in everything that evening, so they just made sure they didn't make things worse. Bernadette thought that at least her being out, trying to have some fun, was a lot better than her lying in bed feeling sorry for her life. Amy left at 10 PM, Penny continued to watch TV and talk a little to Bernadette till about 11 PM, when she went to bed, she had never taken off her robe or pajamas the whole day.

The night for Leonard, Howard, Raj and Alex had been much more happy and actually fun for them all. Leonard picked up Alex and they talked and laughed all the way to the theatre where they met Howard and Raj. While waiting for tickets, then snacks, the guys talked to Alex about everything and told her she was a saint to put up with Sheldon, which made her feel like part of their group and made her happy. They all got popcorn and drinks and settled in their seats with Leonard on one side and Raj on the other of Alex. Howard sat on the other side of Leonard so he could casually watch what happened between Alex and Leonard.

Alex turned out to be really into the Star Wars movie, as much as the guys, even grasping both Leonard and Raj's hands when Luke found his step parents dead. Leonard was at first surprised but then when he turned and saw she had Raj's hand too, he just smiled because it just seemed cute. Raj, however, was in nirvana, and just soaked up the feel of her hand, he was in love.

Alex always wanted to cry when Luke found his step parents dead because that part always made he feel so sorry for Luke and she wanted to hold Leonard's hand to feel better, but was afraid it would make things awkward. Grabbing Raj's hand too, just made her seem like she was upset about the scene, she knew, and it still got her to hold Leonard's hand, which was what she wanted in the first place.

The movie ended and the guys and Alex all just kept sitting until the credits were over, which really surprised Leonard that Alex enjoyed the movie so much. Leaving the theatre, they all talked about the movie and how the extra 7 minutes changed some significant content of the impacted scenes, with Alex having fresh thoughts on the matter, that the guys never considered before. They all then decided to go to a restaurant, to have hamburgers and fries, and continue their conversation on the movie over their food. They ended up talking for almost two hours, before they realized it was so late and they needed to leave. Leonard took Alex home, again enjoying their conversation during the drive, and then when they got to her apartment he watched her to her door, they waved goodnight to each other before she closed her door.

Leonard thought Alex was great and how much he enjoyed her company, especially now when he was feeling so down, she made him laugh. As Raj and Howard drove home, Raj thought how much he was in love with Alex. She had suggested Raj text during dinner so they could get his opinion on everything and it really kept him in the conversation, the whole night, she was awesome. Howard drove Raj back to Sheldon's thinking how nice Alex was and if she was interested in Leonard, Penny might have completely lost Leonard this time. Alex thought what a wonderful night it had been, the guys were really nice and she got to let her nerd out and they had liked her more for it, she really had fun. Also, there was Leonard, with the guys around she could talk and be with him and it wasn't really a date, so it didn't have to be awkward. She wished she could have kissed him goodnight or even had him in a little while, but maybe that was destine to happen later, she hoped.

Sunday, Penny had to work, which she welcomed, so she got up early to have a little breakfast and coffee with Bernadette and Howard. She then got ready and headed off, she was usually early to work now, since her and Leonard broke up. After Penny left, Bernadette looked at Howard, "Howie, what happened last night?"

Howard felt a little uncomfortable because he knew Bernadette was not going to be pleased about his report. "Alex, is are really nice girl and her and Leonard seem to be really hitting in off. I don't think their a couple but they seem to be becoming good friends and you know that is what got Leonard and Penny together. She is pretty, smart and a little nerdy too, she really enjoyed going to the Star Wars movie last night and talked about with us afterward. I can tell Leonard had fun and enjoyed her company."

"Damm it! Penny and Leonard belong together and now having somebody come into Leonard's life is just ruining everything." Bernadette was mad.

"Bernie, maybe it's time for them to move along, maybe Leonard has been hurt enough." Howard said.

"I know, Leonard has been hurt too much, but Penny does love him, and he loves her. They are soul mates and need each other, Penny has just been fighting it for too long and I don't think the reason has anything to do with Leonard. I think if Leonard hangs on, Penny is finally going to understand herself and will beg him to marry her, but he has to hold on!" Bernadette stopped to catch her breathe, she was getting a little emotional. "The need some time apart, without any other people influencing them, so they can think through their relationship and either fix it or finally have closure. This Alex is distracting Leonard and in the state he is in he could be easily persuaded that he loves her, when all he is looking for is love from anyone."

"Rebound love, you think Alex might be that for him?" Howard asked.

"Yes, right now I do. Howie, would you trade me for Alex?" Bernadette asked.

Howard was shocked, "No, whatever made you say that!"

"Howie, does Leonard love Penny any less than you love me?" Bernadette asked.

Howard understood what she was saying now, "No, Leonard really loves Penny. I see what you mean, this might not be over between them, right?"

"Right!" at least Bernadette hoped so.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Leonard actually slept well during the night for the first time in a week. Last night had been nice and he enjoyed his time with his friends and Alex fit right in. He was working on his laptop, trying to finish a report, when his cell phone rang and this time he looked to see who it was for a change. He was a little shocked when the caller ID flashed "Dr. Eric Gablehauser", why would he be calling me on Sunday, then he thought Sheldon must have done something, so he answered.

"Hello, Dr Hofstadter here." his curiosity peaked.

"Hello, the is Dr Gablehauser. Dr Hofstadter, I'm sorry to call you on Sunday, but something has come up that must be dealt with quickly. Do you still have a valid passport?" he responded

"Yes, why?" this was very curious

"Dr Hofstadter, a large project was canceled at the Cern Supercollider, so a window has opened up for the experiment you were planning to do there, two years from now. Can you be ready to fly there next weekend and start your work there a week from Monday? They can let you share 30-days of time with the Supercollider, so the question is can you take advantage of this opportunity?" he explained.

Leonard thought for a moment, his equipment could be made ready and he could provide a preliminary report for his grant program now, with a final when he came back, he could do it. "Yes, Dr Gablehauser, I can do it." Leonard said with confidence. But he added, "It is a lot of work for one person, would it be possible to get some help?"

"I could give you a PHD grad student to help, would that be OK? You could give him or her special studies credit for their PHD effort." Gablehauser offered.

Leonard thought, he really only need minor technical help and someone to do non technical tasks, so a grad student would work out, "Sure that would be fine, thanks."

"Ok, stop by my office first thing tomorrow and we will work out some of the details and I'll get the grad school coordinator to get you someone as-soon-as-possible. See you tomorrow Dr Hofstadter." he finished.

"Thank you, sir. Tomorrow morning, I'll be there. Bye." Leonard ended the call. He sat back in the couch and just said, "WOW". Then he jumped up and got ready to go to the Cal Tech because he had a lot of work to do before next weekend.

Penny's day at work was the same as any other Sunday, so she just did her job on sort of an automatic mode, not really thinking about what she was doing. What she was thinking about was her future and how much of a loser she was, she was telling herself she probably wouldn't really amount to anything and the only bright thing in her future, Leonard, was now lost to her, too. She went over her failed dreams in her head and the thought of being a waitress all her life just made her sick to her stomach, especially when she saw in her mind's eye, future Penny, with gray hair, wiping down tables. She went over and over it in her head, all day and she couldn't figure how to fix it, so by the time she went back to Bernadette's that evening, she was dead tired and went right to bed.

Leonard was going to bed the same time Penny was, also dead tired, from working all day at the university. He was tired but happy at all he had accomplished that day and now knew he could be ready to go next weekend to Cern. He went to sleep pretty quick, thinking about what he had to do tomorrow and the meeting with Dr Gablehauser in the morning.

Penny got up when Bernadette did, Monday morning, and had coffee with her before Bernadette and Howard left for work. She then sat on the couch with coffee for a while before she had to go to work herself. She could not understand it but she now had trouble sleeping late on work days and just wanted to get to work, with it's numbing routine.

Leonard's meeting went well with Dr Gablehauser and they even had a teleconference with the team at Cern who stayed late to talk to them. Everything was seeming to fall into place now since he had committed to going for his experiment. He knew he had a busy day, but he hoped he could get some time this afternoon to tell Alex the great news.

Alex was just walking out of Dr Cooper's office when her phone beeped with a text message. It was from Beverly, her good friend telling her that her and Beverly had been asked to see the graduate coordinator at 2 PM for an important meeting and Bev wanted to know if Alex knew what it was about. Alex said she knew nothing, then realized it would make her miss coffee with Leonard, she thought, this meeting had better be important.

Leonard was sitting at a table in the cafeteria at 2 PM. It had been a crazy day but he was on schedule and thought he could spend an hour with Alex and give her the good news. Leonard knew Alex would be happy for him and he wanted to share the news of this exciting adventure he was going on, with her first. At 2:20 PM he figuring she was a no show when he saw an old friend of his coming into the table area with a cup of coffee.

"Hey Steve,' Leonard gave a little shout to the almost empty cafeteria.

Steve Hansen, PHD saw his old friend Leonard and went directly to his table, sitting down across from him. "Leonard, how are you. I haven't seen you since the beginning of the fall semester."

"Yeah, well I wasn't the one on an exchange program with Cambridge, either." Leonard ribbed him, "When did you get back?"

Steve laughed, "Yeah, true. I've been back since the beginning of the month. I got myself wrapped up in a special project now and I am only working here part time now."

"Really what?" Leonard asked

"I am technical consultant on a new TV show they are going to make, how about that. If the show is picked up, they will need me to support them full time and I will be on the show a little. It pays 2-3 times what they pay here." he stated.

"Wow." was all Leonard could say. He thought this was just up Steve's alley, because Steve had the looks of guys who were on TV, and he knew Steve would love to be a TV celebrity. Steve was handsome, interesting and the kind of person people wanted to be around, sometimes he was surprised Steve was his friend, but they were. Steve and Leonard went to grad school together, and covered each other asses many the time when each of them got in trouble. They became great friends and Steve had many times tried to fix Leonard up with his girlfriend's girlfriends, but it never worked out, much to Leonard's and Steve's disappointment. They both got jobs at Cal Tech but their lives took different paths, so they only occasionally hooked up to talk anymore, like today.

"So what you doing?" Steve asked

Leonard then told him about the Cern Supercollider trip and experiment, which he could tell Steve was genuinely impressed with, because he began to ask him a lot about the research he was doing with the supercollider. Leonard told him everything he could until he could see Steve was satisfied, then he decided to bring up something he was thinking about since Steve mentioned the TV show.

"Steve, what kind of TV show are you working on. Have they cast everyone for parts yet?" Leonard asked

"It's great. It is going to be a Saturday morning kids science show. They plan on having a female scientist show kids experiments and teach them science stuff every episode. I will be a guest on the show doing a bit every week, if the show gets picked up. They plan on making a pilot episode in a couple of weeks. The only part they haven't cast is the female scientist part yet, and it has to be a female they said, so there are no parts for a experimental physicist, I'm afraid." Steve chuckled

Leonard was now very interested, "Does the female scientist have to be a real scientist?"

Steve was now confused about what Leonard was after, "No, they are going to use an actress and I am going to coach her, that is why I am primarily a consultant. Why do you ask."

"Do they have a particular type of actress in mind?" Leonard asked

Steve was even more confused about what Leonard was asking, "Yeah, they have been interviewing blonde actress with what they call natural beauty, not the model types. The problem is the girls they have been interviewing have trouble saying large technical words or technical language, so they haven't picked one yet. Again, why are you asking this?"

Leonard smiled, "Steve I need a big favor, a really big favor. If you can help, can you get her to have a chance casting for the part?" Leonard asked, then showed Steve a picture of Penny on his phone, one of her portfolio shots.

"Wow", Steve said, then, "I can't promise anything Leonard, but I will give it a shot, OK. Just email me that picture, her name and information, including her phone number and I'll pass it to them, if they are interested. I'm sorry that is the most I can do. By the way who is she, your girlfriend?"

"No, just an old friend, but anything you can do would be great. Thanks" Leonard said.

"Hey, I got to run, see you later buddy and be careful drinking the water." Steve said getting up.

"Great seeing you stranger." Leonard shook Steve's hand then watched him go. Leonard then threw his coffee cup out and headed back to work. He hoped beyond hope that Penny could get this chance, he wanted her to have her dream, he still cared about her and he only wanted her to be happy.

Alex and Beverly were sitting, chatting, wondering why they were asked to the graduate student coordinator's office when they were asked to come in. Dr Karen Stone, the PHD assigned as coordinator for all female PHD grad students, asked them to sit down.

"Ladies, a opportunity has come up suddenly that is sending one of our top physicists to the Cern Supercollider to run an important experiment starting a week from now. He will need to have a graduate assistant to come with him to support this effort. We have had other opportunities come up before and a male grad student has made the trip, but now we are making it possible for a female grad student to go and you girls are on the top of the list. It is expected to take about a month and I was hoping, since I know you both are friends, you could decide which between you should go." Dr Stone finished.

Alex thought Beverly should go because Alex didn't want to leave Leonard, when things were going so good between them and was about to say she would defer to Beverly, when Beverly asked a question that change everything.

"Which physicist is going, may we ask", Beverly didn't want to go if that nut, Dr Cooper was going, Alex could baby sit him.

"It's Dr. Hofstadter, who is a very accomplished physicist, very much a gentleman and because it is him, this is one of the main reasons we are letting a female grad student assist him. Also, you will get graduate special studies credit, for participating in this experiment, towards you doctorate degree." she stated.

Alex was in shock, Leonard was going and they needed someone to go to Europe with him, for a month to assist him. This was a dream come true, she had to go. Alex turned to Beverly and quietly said, "Please Bev, let me go."

Beverly was a little surprised at Alex's request and at the desperation in her voice. Beverly really didn't know Dr. Hofstadter and wasn't too sure she could trust her boyfriend for a month, plus Alex was her friend, so her answer was pretty easy, "OK."

To Dr. Stone, Beverly said, "We've decided, Alex is going."

"Good, Alex, you will need to come by for information on this assignment tomorrow at 10 AM and in the afternoon we have a trip meeting with Dr Hofstadter in Dr Gablehauser's office at 2 PM, so see you then." Dr Stone then stood letting them know the meeting was over.

Outside Beverly looked at Alex, who was all smiles, "What happened in there, you practically begged me to let you go?"

"Sorry, it has been my dream to go to the Cern Supercollider. I hope you don't mind?" Alex lied to her best friend. She felt bad, lying, but she couldn't stop smiling thinking about a month with Leonard.

Beverly just shrugged, "No problem, but you owe me one."

Alex laughed, "Sure, you bet." and both girls hugged.

Alex was dying to tell Leonard she was going with him and started to go to his office, but then stopped herself. She really didn't know if he wanted her to go, did she, and she thought it might be too much if she came busting in on him telling him about what great news it was. It would be better if she waited for tomorrow afternoon's meeting, making it look like she didn't know it was him and then she could see his face when he found out she was going with him. Yes, that is what she would do, wait till tomorrow.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Leonard got home to Raj's apartment about 10 PM and just got cleaned up to go right to bed. His mind was tired and he was happy for that because after he had talked to Steve this afternoon, he had been thinking of Penny off and on the rest of the day. He really hoped she somehow got this break, but he was too tired now to think about it and was asleep within a few minutes of laying his head down.

Penny got home to Bernadette's about 10:30 PM and Bernadette met her at the door to talk for a few minutes. They were both tired and were in their respective beds by 11 PM, Penny fast asleep within minutes of laying her head down, she was too tired to think either.

Leonard woke up feeling pretty good, he had slept like a rock and was ready to tackle another day. This new project with the CERN Supercollider had really energized him, and he was really excited on this experiment and its possible ramifications. He hurried getting ready and was off to work early again, picking up coffee at McDonalds along the way. He had another busy day today, so he wanted to get started early, plus he wanted to call the project group from CERN as soon as he got in, to discuss his equipment needs when he got there. He thought about Penny again, during the drive, and realized that what he discussed with Steve, yesterday, was probably the most he could do for her. Leonard sighed, he also realized he still loved her and he was an idiot for not being able to move on, but he just couldn't get her out of his heart. The only thing that was making him able to go on was this complete separation from her, and maybe this project to Switzerland to use the Large Hadron Collider, which was known as the CERN Supercollider, would help him feel better, so he could move on. He didn't know, but he was really worried that maybe, deep down, he didn't want to be over her, because he felt like that now. As Leonard parked his car at Cal Tech, he switched his mind from Penny and started to think about what he had to do today to prepare for his trip.

Penny got up early again and again had breakfast with Howard and Bernadette. It was slowly becoming a routine for her, but she was thinking she had to get back to her apartment soon, maybe this weekend. She had to get a handle on her life, and figure out what she was going to do with her future, so she had a lot of thinking to do. Penny got ready, after Howard and Bernadette left for work, and was early to work again, however today she thought she could cope a little better.

Leonard hurried to Dr Gablehauser's office at 1:58 PM that afternoon for his 2 PM meeting. Janice, Dr Gablehauser's secretary smiled at him, she liked Leonard like her own son, "Leonard, how are you today?"

"Hi Janice, fine, am I late?" Leonard asked, he like Janice, everyone did, she was like the department mother to them all.

"No, everybody just got her less than a minute ago, so just go in, they are expecting you." Janice told him, smiling.

"Thanks Janice." Leonard said and opened the door to Dr Gablehauser's office, walking in.

Leonard walked into the room and stopped as everyone looked up at him. At the head of the conference table was Dr Eric Gablehauser, to his right Dr Karen Stone, the grad school program coordinator, to his left Jake Lowe from equipment control, next to Jake sat Jill Fields from travel and next to Karen sat…..ALEX! Leonard was now concerned, was this meeting about the trip and experiment or was he in trouble?

Leonard went to sit down, "Dr Gablehauser, sorry if I am late. Hello everyone."

"No Dr Hofstadter, your right on time." Dr Gablehauser replied.

Dr Gablehauser continued, "First Dr Hofstadter, we have selected a graduate student to assist and accompany you, in support of your experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. This is Alex Jensen, a Physics Doctoral Candidate in our department, she graduated _summa cum laude_ with a concentration in theoretical physics from Stanford University and was offered a post at the Fermilab, but picked Cal Tech for our leading edge research. Ms Jensen already has a passport and speaks French and a little German, so Dr Stone and I believe she should be perfect for this project."

Karen nodded when Dr Gablehauser finished and Alex blushed, obviously embarrassed by her short biography presented by him. 'So that was it, she is the grad student they promised him', Leonard thought, 'I'm not in trouble', so he relaxed.

Leonard played his part, to Dr Gablehauser, "Thank you sir, I'm sure Ms Jensen will work out fine." To Alex, he stood up and offered her a hand shake, "Ms Jensen, welcome aboard. We are going to be pretty busy the next few days."

Alex liked the smile on Leonard's face now better than the surprise and confusion he had when he saw her. She was getting more and more excited with each moment. To Leonard she said very seriously, "Thank you Dr Hofstadter. I am looking forward to this chance to assist you in your research and I will do my best to be worthy of this opportunity." She then stood and shook Leonard's hand.

The rest of the meeting concerned itself with trip details and equipment logistics. Leonard and Alex both took notes and discussed the details with the assembled group for over an hour. Finally, a little after 3 PM, the meeting ended, Leonard and Alex making arrangements to meet after her class to compare notes.

Across town, at one of the many buildings with offices involved in the TV industry, Dr Steve Hansen, walked into Nancy Wood's office. Nancy was casting director for the show pilot that Steve was part of, and she knew Steve but was surprised to see him in her office.

"Dr Hansen, Good afternoon, is there something I can help you with?" Nancy said with a little cautiousness. In was very unusual for him to be in her office, unless he was trying to flirt with her. He was 10-years younger than her, but he was very handsome and she would go out with him in a minute. She also thought he was probably very good in bed, guys like him usually were.

"Hi Miss Wood, please call me Steve. I was wondering if they cast the female professor part for the pilot yet?" Steve came out and asked.

'Why does he want to know that?' Nancy thought, interesting, "Why Steve, do you have a girlfriend who needs a job? And you can call me Nancy."

"You got me, but she is not my girlfriend just a friend of a friend, who is an actress. Here is her picture." Steve smiled, then showed Nancy, Penny's photo.

"Well the director didn't like any of the girls that auditioned today. Either they looked too much like models or they were really stupid. This girl has the right looks but, I don't know if we can fit her in for an audition, Steve." Nancy gave Steve a seductive smile. She thought, 'no girlfriend, that's nice'.

Steve had been hit on before by pretty girls and Nancy was looking at him the same way. Nancy was older than him, but she was hot, a tall redhead with a smoking body, he was sort of attracted to her. Steve leaned on her desk and looked into her eyes.

"Nancy this would be a big favor to my friend and especially to me, if you can do something." He said as suggestively as he could.

"I'll see what I can do, but no promises, OK. Text me her information." Nancy smiled at him.

"Could we maybe discuss this more over dinner this Friday?" Steve asked while he sent her a text with Penny's picture and information.

Nancy's smile got bigger, "Yes, that would be nice, let me give you my number and you can call me later with details." She gave him her card with her cell number on it.

"Thanks Nancy, I'll call you later. Have a nice day." Steve gave her his best smile and he left the office.

Nancy thought, the day just got a lot better. She would see if she could get this girl an appointment for an audition before Friday because she thought Steve might be very appreciative if she could tell him that kind of news at dinner.

Steve went to the elevator thinking Leonard owes him big time for this, then he remembered how good Nancy Wood looked and thought maybe he really owed Leonard big time.

Alex couldn't wait for her class to end, she was so excited. She would be working closely with Leonard for the next month and they would be together more than if they were actually dating. She was lost in thought when she realized everyone was getting up because class was over. She practically ran out of the classroom, heading straight to Leonard's office, barely containing her excitement. Outside his door she stopped, checked herself out, then knocked, "Dr Hofstadter?"

"Alex, come in." Leonard said, taking his eyes off his computer, looking up and smiling.

Alex, closed the door behind her and smiled, thinking to herself, calm down. Leonard was smiling at her, and her heart was beating very fast, so fast, she was afraid he could hear it. She tried to smile casually but she knew she had a big grin on her face and she hated that she was making a fool of herself.

Leonard noticed she had a big smile on her face, so he figured she way probably nervous and he felt sorry for her. He wanted to try and put her at ease, so he thought getting right to work would help.

"Alex, good to see you. We have so much to do, so if you don't mind, could you pull up a chair so you can see my computer and we can go over my list of things to do." He said.

"Yes, of course." Alex replied, while putting her books on his desk and pulling a spare chair next to him, to see his computer. She pulled the chair as close to him as she dared but was rewarded when several times, while they went over the list, his shoulder brushed hers. Alex just was able to concentrate enough to work with him, her whole body on edge from being so close to him, alone.

Penny got off work at 7 PM, she had been thinking about her future all day and couldn't help but think about Leonard. She hadn't been able forget how much she loved him and how much she missed him, so she decided she needed to see him and talk to him. Penny drove straight from the Cheesecake Factory to Raj's apartment to see Leonard and demand he talk to her about their future and she was determined not let him push her away. This new found courage carried her to Raj's apartment door where she knocked, to find that no one was home.

Penny didn't want to leave, she really wanted to talk to Leonard and try convince him that they needed to be together. She loved him, that had to count for something, maybe he would listen to her now. Penny kept standing against the outside wall of the apartment, thinking and after a hour of waiting she started loose hope. It was cold outside and she pulled her jacket around her trying to keep warm, she was shivering. Slowly disappointment washed over her and it started to zap her resolve, but she still held on, waiting outside his door for him to show up, until her phone rang, it was Bernadette.

"Penny is everything all right?" Bernadette asked. Bernadette was worried because Penny had come back to Bernadette's apartment every day after work and she was now a hour late.

"I'm at Raj's apartment, waiting for Leonard." she stated.

"Penny have you been there all this time since you got off work. It's cold out, have you been outside all this time?" Bernadette asked.

"Yes." Penny answered very quietly.

"Honey, it's getting colder out and you don't know when he is coming back there, do you?" Bernadette asked.

"No." Penny responded quietly again

"Penny why don't you come home before you get sick. It might be a while before he comes there, you don't know and you just can't keep waiting outside." Bernadette tried to reason with her.

Penny was freezing and all the courage she had over an hour ago was gone, "OK", she told Bernadette, then hung up. She slowly went to her car and started it, then just sat there for a few minutes before she picked up her phone again and called Leonard. The call went right to voice mail, to her disappointment, but she left him a message anyway.

Leonard and Alex finished up at 8 PM, then had a fast bite at a burger joint, before parting to get some sleep, because tomorrow was going to be a long day for both of them. After making sure Alex got home alright, Leonard returned to his car and checked his phone because he remembered he had put it on mute, so he wouldn't be disturbed while he worked. He had one missed call, from Penny, which suddenly made him forget everything else that was going on. There was also a voice mail, so he played it.

Penny's voice came over a little shaky, "Leonard, I love you." and that was all that was on the recording. He just sat in his car, thinking about her, then started his car up and headed to her apartment. He told himself he needed to tell her about the acting part Steve said was still casting, but he knew he just wanted to see her and talk to her.

Penny had gotten to Bernadette's apartment at about 9 PM, still shivering from being so long in the cold. Bernadette made her take a warm bath to get her body heat back, gave her some warm tea, and made her go to bed to get some rest. Bernadette knew she was treating Penny like a child but Penny just did as told and went to sleep by 10 PM, to Bernadette's surprise.

Leonard arrived at Penny's apartment about the same time as Penny was going to sleep, at Bernadette's. He knocked on her door but no one answered and he saw, under the bottom of the door, that no lights were on or came on. He went to the stairs, going up to the fifth floor, and sat down for a few minutes thinking about why he was there. He sat for about 10 minutes, finally deciding was being stupid again, what he was doing wasn't right and he needed to leave. Leonard got back to Raj's apartment about 11 PM and went to bed, laying in bed trying to figure out what he should do about Penny, because he was still very much in love with her. He finally went to sleep, realizing that he was going to Europe for a month and there was nothing he could really do, so it probably was for the best he didn't see her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Wednesday started a little late for Leonard, because he didn't wake up this morning until his alarm started ringing. He was a little tired but got ready and was still at work 30 minutes before the normal work day. Alex showed up a few minutes later with Starbuck's coffees, which he sincerely thanked her for. They spent the next half hour discussing Alex's schedule for the day and the tasks each had to accomplish to support their trip.

After Alex left, Leonard got back to finishing his preliminary report for his current project, he thought if he worked hard he could have it done before lunch and then he could devote all his time, the rest of the week, to his project at the Supercollider. He worked undisturbed all morning and to his relief he finished his report at noon and sent it off to be reviewed by Dr Gablehauser. He was hungry now and thought he would do something he hadn't done in a while, go eat lunch with his friends.

Leonard arrived at the cafeteria to find Howard, Raj and Sheldon already seated and talking. He was getting his tray of food when he realized they were all looking at him, so he headed straight to their table.

"Well, well, well, If it isn't the back stabbing Leonard Hofstadter in the flesh." Sheldon said with all the venom in his voice he could muster.

"Sheldon, nice to see you too. Howard, Raj." Leonard answered.

"Hey" Raj responded

"Hey, long time no see." Howard said.

"Coming to rub our noses in that you are going to the Hadron Collider again, because it can't be to inquire about assistants, since you already stole mine." Sheldon again poked at him.

"Sheldon, I did not steal your assistant, she was assigned to me and you knew I was going to use the Hadron Collider in the next couple of years, it just got moved up." Leonard tried to reason with him.

Raj and Howard were just staring at the exchange between Leonard and Sheldon, interested but daring not to say anything less they get involved. It was always nice when something was happening to someone else, instead of them, when it concerned Sheldon.

"I fail to see how the university can waste valuable Collider time on your mediocre experiment, when I have many ideas for better use of the opportunity. Also, I just got Alex were she is useful and it is a waste of my valuable time to train another underling." Sheldon ranted.

Howard started to feel a little sorry for Leonard, plus Bernadette wanted to know what was happening with Alex and Leonard, so he ignored Sheldon and asked Leonard, "When are you leaving for Geneva, Switzerland?".

Leonard was happy for a subject change from what Sheldon was upset about, "I leave Saturday and will arrive Sunday late morning. Long trip but maybe I can sleep some. This week, getting ready, is starting to wear me out."

Howard thought he better get to it, "Well how is Alex working out?"

"She has been great, she took over equipment movement, travel, contacts and coordination, which has really saved me time and work." Leonard responded.

"I trained her and you reap the benefits, really Leonard who do you thing you are." Sheldon broke in. Sheldon was not going to be ignored because he had something important to say, he thought.

Howard decided to push a little more, "Well besides that, she seems to be really friendly, if you know what I mean."

"Your having Colitis with Alex!" Sheldon exclaimed

Now Raj jumped in, "No dude, I called dibs on Alex."

"No one is having Colitis with anyone. What is wrong with you guys." Leonard stated with some irritation.

"Why my assistant Leonard? Wasn't Penny enough for you or did you break up with her for Alex." Sheldon ranted, truly Leonard had now gone too far.

Leonard had had it. Talking about Penny was the last straw, he got up and left, leaving Sheldon to talk to thin air.

The rest of the day and early evening, Leonard worked with a depressing cloud over his head. He couldn't get Penny out of his thoughts, every time he finished something, took a break or any time he wasn't concentrating on work, Penny entered his mind. He still cared for her and everything he was doing, to get away from those thoughts, wasn't working. He was wondering if he made a big mistake, he really didn't know about relationships, Penny was his only true relationship. He kept thinking of a quote he learned long ago, 'It is better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all." and he wondered if maybe if he had stayed with Penny it would have been better, even if later he lost her, than what he was feeling now. He just didn't know and he felt so confused.

Alex noticed how Leonard's mood had changed from this morning. He barely spoke now and he wasn't smiling. He also gave her tasks that took her away from him, which she didn't like. She didn't know what was bothering him and he was in such a foul mood, so not Leonard, she was afraid to ask. They both went straight back to their apartments after they got done at 8 PM.

Penny had to work all day Wednesday and got off from work again at 10 PM. She was really tired and went to bed as soon as she got to Bernadette's. Penny was a little depressed about what happened or didn't happen at Raj's apartment and that Leonard never made any response to her voice mail. She couldn't believe how badly she missed Leonard, he was the only man she had ever truly felt safe and secure sleeping with, and she missed that feeling. She missed kissing him, he had become a great kisser, and she missed having sex with him, sex was so much better when you are sober and in love, she thought. She kept thinking of Las Vegas, their last happy time together, and how he was so perfect that night and how she wanted him so badly. Penny buried her head in her pillow and softly whimpered, finally falling asleep feeling really lonely and wishing Leonard was there, to hold her.

Thursday morning, Leonard was feeling a little better and got to work early again. Alex was waiting outside his office when he arrived with coffee again.

"Hi Alex, you know you don't have to bring Starbucks every morning." Leonard told her

"That's OK, it's on the way." She lied. "Besides it is better than having to correctly brew Dr Cooper's tea every morning." she stated.

"He made you make him tea every morning!" that surprised Leonard and it made him feel compassion for this beautiful young grad student that Sheldon was obviously using as his servant. "I'm sorry you had to endure that." Leonard apologized.

"No, that's OK. At least now I'm getting to do some cutting edge research with you, so that sort of makes up for it." Alex stated and was rewarded by a smile from Leonard.

Alex worked the whole day with Leonard except for the short time she had to go by her class instructor's offices to get her advanced work for the month she was going to be gone. While Alex was going to her class meetings, she thought Leonard was almost back to himself, so what was bothering him yesterday must have passed. He was better and she was again happy around him.

Penny had another full day at work and got up with Bernadette and Howard again to eat breakfast. She didn't say a lot but it was nice to be around her friends. As soon as Howard and Bernadette left, she got ready for work and was at work early again, which was seeming to be her routine now.

At the studios of Glazer Productions, it had been another long day interviewing young ladies for their new show. Ed Johnson, the director, was getting a headache and Bob Martin, the producer, passed him a couple of aspirins. They had seen twenty potential actresses for the part, but it seemed the talent was getting worse every day that passed. Ed was thinking they might have to call some of the girls they auditioned from the first couple of days, because they were much better than the girls that were auditioning now.

"Nancy, do you have the information on the girls from two weeks ago?" Ed asked.

"You think one of them would be good for the part, Ed?" Bob asked.

"I don't know, but I do know none of the actresses we've seen this week is." Ed replied.

Nancy thought, maybe this would be a good time to mention Steve's friend, "Ed, I have a girl that we haven't talked to you that might be interested in."

"Really, who?" Ed asked. Bob also looked at Nancy, interested.

Nancy thought, Steve's friend better be a little good and not make a fool of me. "Here is her picture, she appears to have the physical look you want."

Ed and Bob looked at the picture, then Bob said, "OK, have her come in…Monday morning. We can't do anything tomorrow because of a meeting and I couldn't stand to talk to another actress this week, anyway."

"Also, give me the list and pictures of the girls from the first two days. I will provide you a couple of names and we can have them come in Monday afternoon." Ed added.

Nancy just nodded and took a couple of notes before they all got up and left for the day.

Leonard and Alex finished early, at 7 PM and went out to a business dinner that night. Leonard almost drove to the Cheesecake Factory, but caught himself, before he turned in the parking lot, and took Alex to the Olive Garden just down the street. It was a nice evening of tasty food and stimulating talk between him and Alex, which helped to make him feel better. They left at 9 PM, their bellies full and both in good moods, especially Alex. Leonard again saw Alex home then headed back to Raj's apartment to start packing for the trip that was now only a couple of days away.

Bernadette and Howard were still talking at 9 PM about Penny, Alex and Leonard.

"He really got upset when Sheldon mentioned Colitis with Alex and stormed out of the cafeteria. So I don't really know what to take from that." Howard was going over the weeks events with Bernadette.

"This is bad Howie, Alex and Leonard are going to be alone in Switzerland for a month and he will have no contact with Penny. This is bad." Bernadette was really worried.

"Is there anything we can do?" Howard asked. "Should we tell Penny?"

"I don't know, no probably not, I think she would only get upset, and besides what can she do, they are leaving in two days." Bernadette concluded.

A little later Penny got home from work, tired and sore from being on her feet for 12 hours. Bernadette made her eat some soup, because Penny was definitely loosing weight and her uniform was looking more and more like it was a size too big. They talked for a little while about nothing much and then Penny said to Bernadette, "I really miss Leonard."

Bernadette was really caught off guard, because Penny just said that out of the blue, so she was having a hard time replying, "I'm sorry Penny." was all she could get out.

Penny just nodded, got up and went to her room, to get ready for bed. Bernadette sat speechless watching her go, torn between telling her about what Howard said earlier or letting her go unaware. Penny had changed, since Leonard and her broke up, she was still Penny but different in a way Bernadette couldn't explain. Before Bernadette could make a good guess on how Penny would react to situations, but now she just was to unsure what was going through Penny's mind. On thing she was pretty sure of though was that Penny loved Leonard and they belonged together. This thing with Alex, right now was making everything screwed up, Leonard and Penny where not prepared for this, they needed to work things out by themselves, and injecting Alex into the middle was very wrong.

Friday morning, Leonard sprang out of bed, because today was the last day to finalize everything. He had a telecom with the CERN scientists in the morning then he and Alex had to finish the remaining tasks they had for today. He arrived at work just before 7 AM to find Alex with coffee again and she was excided, ready to take on the day.

Bernadette sat at the table with Penny drinking coffee and eating a breakfast croissant. Bernadette had laid in bed, the night before, thinking about her and really felt sorry for Penny because Leonard was leaving tomorrow for Switzerland with Alex. Thinking long and hard about them, she thought chances were such that Penny and Leonard might be through now, because the situation was weighing against them getting back together. She hoped Penny could move on without too much grief, if it happened, but she knew that Penny was still in love with Leonard and she would take it hard. She would have to talk to Penny after Leonard left and let her know he was gone so she could start moving on too.

Penny was sitting in her car at the Cheesecake Factory employee parking lot. She was there too early and had to wait 15 minutes for someone to open the doors before she could get it. As she sat there, her phone rang with a number she never saw before, she only answered because she had nothing else to do, at the moment.

"Hello?" Penny said half heartedly

"Hello is this Penelope?" the voice said.

"Yes, it is, may I ask who this is?" Penny asked.

"Yes, this is Heather Scott, from Glazer Productions, and I would like to schedule you for an audition on Monday." the voice said.

Penny was in shock, she had never been asked to go to an audition, much less had an appointment. "You sure you have the right Penelope?" She asked.

"Blonde, about 5 ft 7 inches, 110 pounds, from Nebraska, is that you?" the voice asked.

"Yes, It is! Ah…yes I can come Monday, where and when." Penny was excited now.

Heather provided Penny the details for the audition on Monday and wished her luck. Penny was so confused and so happy, a production company had asked her to audition, that never ever happened to her before. Maybe they saw her commercial or one of plays she was in, she didn't know, but this was the first good news she had in the last couple of weeks of bad news.


	19. Chapter 19

**I wish to apologize for some of the words in previous chapters. It has recently come to my attention that my Spell Checker has changed some words that I did not catch before the chapter was published. I hope these errors did not cause confusion.**

Chapter 19

Friday ended early for Leonard and Alex, they had completed everything they needed to do at 4 PM and decided to catch some dinner before they both had to pack for tomorrow's trip. Leonard went to a restaurant with Alex, to eat, and they talked about their plans for the trip tomorrow, including their plans when they got to Switzerland. Leonard kept up with the conversation but was feeling a little bad and couldn't get Penny out of his mind, he felt he needed to talk to her before he left. Alex noticed Leonard was acting nice but was also thinking about something.

"Penny for you thoughts." Alex asked with a smile

Leonard almost jumped at her saying Penny. He calmed himself before he spoke, "Just thinking about if I have covered all the loose ends for this trip, that's all."

"Don't worry, we got everything. That list you made covered every possible situation and needed task. We're good." Alex said with a smile.

Leonard forced a smile, "Yeah your right."

Alex thought Leonard was just obsessing over details and figured he would better once he got on the plane tomorrow, so she didn't worry. Leonard, however, was still thinking of one detail he needed to attend to before he left, Penny. Her voice mail message still bothered him, and he still wanted to see her before he left. He knew he shouldn't and he had no good reason to do it and a thousand reasons not to, but he couldn't help it. So after they ate, Leonard excused himself by saying he had to get to packing and would pick Alex up for the airport tomorrow morning. Then as soon as Leonard parted from Alex, he headed straight to Penny's

Sheldon was in a really bad mood from the last two days with his new grad school assistant, Beverly. She was nothing like Alex, she told him to kiss off when he suggested she do personal things for him and would only do the bare minimum of work, needed to get by. When he complained to Dr Gablehauser, he was told he would have to work with Beverly or work alone, which was unacceptable to him, now that he was use to having an assistant. Alex had been barely acceptable, but much better than Beverly, however, now she was gone and he blamed in all on Leonard. So when he heard knocking on Penny's door, and saw through the peephole it was Leonard, he decided to vent his frustrations on who he considered the source of the problem.

"Penny's not home." Sheldon stated after he opened his apartment door.

"Oh, is she at work? Do you know when she will be back?" Leonard asked.

"No Leonard, She has been gone for a while, left and I don't think she wants to see you anymore. Really Leonard do you think a girl like Penny would wait for you." Sheldon told him.

Leonard thought, 'So she is now gone, I should have realized this was going to happen'. He couldn't make sense why she would call him and tell him she loved him, but now it seemed she had moved on, so there was nothing he could do anymore. Since Sheldon was still being an ass again and he didn't want to put up with him. "Bye Sheldon." is all Leonard said and he walked down the stairs.

Leonard thought, as he drove to Raj's apartment, that Penny was really and finally out of his life, so why did wish it wasn't so. He found it hard not to think of her while he packed and the rest of the night. Eventually, after he got packed, he forced himself to give up thinking about her, set his clock and went to bed, tomorrow was going to be a busy day. It was also going to be a new chapter in his life now without Penny and to be honest he was scared, Leonard didn't know if he could love anyone as much as he loved her.

Dr Steve Hansen was waiting at the restaurant door when a beautiful redhead walked up and open the door. Steve knew Nancy Wood was pretty but tonight she looked striking, and for the second time this week he thought that he owed Leonard another favor. Steve had reservations and Nancy was right on time so they were quickly seated and ordered drinks. Before they ordered Nancy thought she would tell Steve the good news and set the tone for the night.

"Oh Steve, by the way, I wanted to tell you that your little blonde friend has an audition on Monday, so you can let her know you came through for her." Nancy told him.

"Thank you, I appreciate that and she is really just a friend of a friend, I was hoping to do a favor for because I owe him. She is not my girlfriend Nancy, right now the only girl I am involved with is currently you." Steve said with a big smile.

Nancy gave Steve a seductive smile, yes this was going to be a good night she thought. They finished dinner about 9 PM and then went to Nancy house were they continued their night with a few drinks. Nancy excused herself and when she returned she was wearing a nightie that left little to the imagination and definitely provided the agenda for the rest of the evening. Steve smiled and thought, 'The things I do for my friends.' then gave a little laugh, walking over to Nancy and kissing her. He was going to do everything he could to reward her for what she done for him, and then they were just going to have fun.

Penny finished another 12 hour day, but she wasn't very tired. The whole day she just thought about the audition on Monday, and why they called her. It was nice to have something positive happening in her life, instead of a the disappointed she had had lately. She couldn't wait to tell Bernadette, but then she thought about Leonard and how happy he would have been for her. Well maybe this is good, she thought, if she got the job Monday, it would give her an excuse to see him and tell him, because he had always been her biggest fan, so he should be alright with her telling him. She thought, 'Yes that is what I will do, if I get the job, I will tell Leonard' and that made her happy again.

Penny and Bernadette stayed up past midnight talking about Penny's good news. Bernadette was so happy to see Penny happy about something for a change and she was very happy to not be talking about Leonard. They even had a couple of glasses of wine to celebrate, which made Penny even happier. Finally, Penny got tired and they went to bed, with the wine and her day of excitement providing Penny the best sleep she had had over the last couple of weeks.

Saturday morning came in a hurry and Leonard did his best to keep up with it. He woke 15-minutes before his alarm went off, and hurried through his morning routine as fast as he could. He arrived at Alex's apartment 10-minutes early to find her ready to go with her bags at the parking lot ready to be loaded. They were off to the airport, ahead of schedule, which was good because they were both on edge not to be late for their flight.

Finally checked in, through security and having gotten to their departure gate, they had a few minutes to relax. Sitting there, in the waiting area for the flight, Leonard started thinking about Penny again, and her voice mail. He still couldn't get it out of his head, why did she tell him she loved him, and why after they had been apart almost two weeks, WHY! He couldn't stand in any more, just sitting there about to leave, so he gave Alex the excuse about going to the bathroom and left her. In the bathroom, Leonard dialed Penny's number, waited, then got her voice mail and this time left a message.

Penny was in the shower getting ready for work so didn't hear her phone ring in its charger. She didn't look at the now silent phone while she got ready and immediately put it in her purse as she went to her car. While on the way to the Cheesecake Factory she kept hearing the beep of a missed call from her purse so when she got to the employee parking she retrieved her phone, went to missed calls and gasped when she saw that Leonard had called her. She saw he left a voice mail, so she took a deep breathe and hit play.

Leonard's voice greeted her and she immediately felt relief, joy, confusion, sadness and every other feeling, 'Penny, I am sorry I missed you at your apartment yesterday, but Sheldon told me you haven't been there for a while. I wanted to ask you about the voice mail you sent me, it sort of….I don't know, I just wanted to talk to you about it. Penny, Sheldon said you had moved on and I am happy for you that you are happy. Please understand this has been hard for me, because I have always loved you.'

Leonard hadn't felt like he was really going until they were in their seats and the on the airplane, it was now too late he rationalized, he was going to be gone for a month and Penny already had moved on. The plane rolled out of the gate a little late, both Leonard and Alex a little concerned about this delay, however they concluded this shouldn't impact their connecting flight in Atlanta. They turned their cell phones off as directed and readied themselves for their long trip to Europe.

Penny dialed Leonard after sitting and playing his voice mail again, she wanted so much to talk to him. She was saddened when Leonard's phone went to voice mail before the first ring, meaning it was off. She wanted him to call her back so she left him a voice mail. 'Leonard, I haven't moved on, I am just staying with Bernadette for a few days. I love you honey, and I need you, please call me." Penny was trying not to cry.

There were thunderstorms around Atlanta so Alex and Leonard's plane was forced to circle for 2 hours before it was allowed to land. Since they were going international, all international travelers were allowed to deplane first and rushed through preboard processing to their respective flights. Alex and Leonard just made their plane which closed its doors and was on its way down the taxiway minutes after they sat down. Leonard had been rushed so much he never turned his cell phone back on from when he shut if off in California.

Penny kept her cell phone in her skirt pocket all day, set on vibrated, hoping she would hear from Leonard. Later, during her shift, when she was on break, she left another voice mail for Leonard about her going back to her apartment on Sunday, if he wanted to meet her there and talk. She knew if he did come to her apartment, she would throw herself at him and beg him for forgiveness, anything, so he wouldn't leave her. She kept thinking how she had been so coy the last few years, because she didn't really think that he would leave or she would loose him, but now she knew what loosing him felt like and she truly believed she was a very stupid girl.

Leonard never called, but Penny was determined to be in her apartment, if he showed up tomorrow, she now felt that maybe things were going to be better. She arrived at Bernadette's and told her she needed to be back in her apartment and she felt ready. She said she had get clothes for her audition and she just wanted to go home, never telling Bernadette anything about Leonard. Bernadette was worried, but Penny seemed determined and more like old Penny, so she didn't argue much and helped her pack her suitcase. Penny hugged Bernadette goodbye and was back in her apartment, unpacked, just after midnight. Penny laid awake for over a hour thinking about Leonard, then convinced herself everything was going to work out, finally falling asleep.

Over the Atlantic Ocean, Alex and Leonard finally fell asleep in their side by side seats. A few hours later, after the horizon, out the window, started to get lighter, Leonard woke up to find Alex asleep on his shoulder. Alex looked so innocent and beautiful, he couldn't help but look at her in her sleep and he stayed motionless so he didn't wake her. A nice stewardess offered Leonard coffee and told him, his lady friend and him made a cute couple, as she left to give coffee to other passengers. Leonard just smiled her and continued to let Alex sleep.

An hour later, Alex started to wake up, slowly rising from Leonard's shoulder, to an upright seating position, before opening her eyes and stretching. Leonard believed she hadn't really known she was sleeping on his shoulder, by the way she was slowly coming back to the world of the awake. She finally looked at him and gave him a warm smile, that when you included her just waking bedroom eyes, made her terribly appealing.

Alex opened her eyes and looked at Leonard, receiving one of his fantastic smiles. She had woken up earlier, after her and Leonard had fell asleep, uncomfortable with the position she was sleeping in and decided that Leonard's shoulder looked very inviting. She wanted him and she thought this trip was perfect for bringing them together, so she took an opportunity of letting him know she really liked him, more than a friend, by sleeping his shoulder. Alex loved Leonard's smile but knew if she looked too long at him she would make things awkward so she gave him her sweet smile and told him she had to use the toilet to freshen up.

Leonard watched Alex walk down the aisle, she was wearing some very form fitting jeans and her backside looked quite nice, and he was immediately reminded of Penny and how she looked so good in her tight jeans. Leonard shook his head, and decided he need to freshen up himself, because he wasn't thinking too clearly now.

Leonard's plane touched down in Geneva, Switzerland just before 11 AM local, Penny had just fallen asleep in Pasadena. There was a long wait in customs so Leonard took out his phone and turned it on to see if there was anything he missed during his flight. His phone did not work in Europe, because it wasn't set up to, so all the voice mails being held for him were not forwarded to his phone. Leonard looked at the empty voice mail and missed call boxes and sighed, turning his phone off for the remainder of this trip, because he had a university internationally capable phone, if he needed to contact anyone for this project.

Once through customs Leonard and Alex entered into the terminal and immediately saw a middle aged man holding a sign with Hofstadter and Jensen written on it. Leonard smiled and walked over to the man, who he recognized from one of the telecom's as Dr Glauser from CERN, and told him they were the people from Cal Tech he was looking for.

"Dr Glauser, I am Dr Hofstadter and this is my colleague Ms Jensen from Cal Tech." Leonard offered his hand to shake with Dr Glauser.

Alex gave Leonard a quick look, because she couldn't believe what he had just said, he called her his colleague, not assistant, not grad student, but his colleague. He was putting her on the same level as him, to these scientists from CERN, they would treat her as an equal. She couldn't believe it, maybe she had been working with Dr Cooper for too long, because she had begun to think she was only a servant to him, but Leonard was making her part of the experiment. This is why she picked Cal Tech instead of the FermiLab, to get a chance at cutting edge research and now Leonard was doing that for her. She couldn't help but look on Leonard in awe, he was amazing.

Dr Glauser smiled back and shook Leonard's hand then shook Alex's hand, "Welcome to Switzerland, I hope you had a good flight? I will now take you to were you stay and after you are ready, we can get something to eat."

Alex said thank you in French and Dr Glauser first asked her if she was fluent in French, which she said yes, then Dr Glauser rattled off some information, obviously more comfortable using French than English. Leonard just smiled at the exchange, he always thought French was a very romantic language, and wondered why he never seemed to have had time to learn it. As they walked to the car Alex apologized to Leonard for being rude by speaking French, then told him that Dr Glauser said she was a beautiful young lady and he would introduce her to the other female scientists at the Supercollider.

Leonard gave a little chuckle, "You better watch it Alex, this is the French part of Switzerland and you know the French are famous for love."

Alex just giggled, "Well then I hope you will protect me if I get attacked by any love struck Frenchmen."

Leonard and Alex were both chuckling when they got in the car with Dr Glauser for their new home for the next four weeks. Switzerland was exciting, especially the City of Geneva, were Dr Glauser took them to a small café so they could have a bite to eat and discuss what they wanted to do that day. Leonard and Alex were both a little tired from the trip still, therefore, it was decided they would both take naps for the afternoon and then Dr Glauser would pick them up for dinner, later. Dr Glauser then drove Leonard and Alex to the CERN Hostel, where they received their rooms and found they were side by side for their convenience.

Alex looked at Leonard, "Well see you at six, sleep tight." She immediately felt embarrassed for adding 'sleep tight', so she quickly stepped into her room so Leonard would not see her blush. Alex again thought, 'Stupid, stupid girl', why was she doing such dumb things around him? As she looked around her room, something caught her eye, which gave her a rush of excitement. Their rooms had inter-room doors between them, one on her side and one on his, so that if both people wanted, a through way could be opened between the rooms without going in the hallway. She stared at the door and wondered, a sly grin forming on her mouth.

Leonard walked into his room after Alex disappeared in hers. The rooms were nice with a desk and working area for his computer and it had wireless internet, so this room would be prefect for his work it the evenings. He had just opened up his suitcase when he heard a knock at the door, so he went to the front door and opened it to find, no one. As he was standing there confused, he heard another knock, at a door in the wall between his and Alex's rooms, that he had not noticed before. Opening the door, he found Alex looking at him with strange look on her face that looked a little apprehensive.

"Leonard, I feel a little bit stupid, but this is the first time I have been alone in a room in a unfamiliar country and I am a little bit nervous. I know this is silly, but could we leave these doors unlocked, so just in case something happens, but I know nothing will, but just in case. I really would feel better and safer." She ended with a pleading look on her face.

Leonard was not really good with women, worse than most men, and could never say no when they asked a favor, "Ok Alex, I won't lock my door, and I will leave it slightly ajar, if that makes you feel safer."

"Thank you, you don't know how much this makes me feel better." Alex said with a smile and an expression of relief. Leonard just smiled back at her. Alex was a little bit proud of herself, as she returned to her room, because she had got exactly what she wanted.

Leonard and Alex were down in the lobby at 6 PM and right on cue, Dr Glauser and another man, Dr Fehr showed up to take them to dinner. The group of four had a light dinner at a small restaurant nearby and discussed the plan for Monday morning with Alex and Leonard. Dr Fehr would pick them up at 7 AM and take them to a briefing room where Leonard would go over his experiment, then in the afternoon they would meet up with their equipment, so Alex, who supervised its packing, could go over its unpacking and preparation for beginning installation on Tuesday. During the dinner, they also discussed some of the theory of Leonard's experiment, and Leonard let Alex explain some of the parts, he previously went over with her, that he knew she could discuss. The CERN scientists also tried some French on Alex, and were quite pleased how fluent she was in the language. The whole dinner and talk ended quickly, so Leonard and Alex could go back to sleep, because tomorrow was a big day and it was obvious they were still tired. Alex had a wonderful time and Leonard made her look like his equal in from of the CERN scientists by letting her talk about the parts of the experiment he had briefed her on, in detail. She was being accepted as his colleague, though he was still obviously team leader, and she was really feeling that this was going to be a memorable adventure.

Later, when back in the room, Alex was getting ready for bed when she got an idea, she took her dental floss and hid it in her underwear drawer, then went and knocked on Leonard's inner door.

Leonard was up, getting ready for bed himself, "Yes" he said while he put his robe on.

"Leonard, do you have any dental floss, I have seemed to forgot mine." Alex said as she slowly went into Leonard's room.

Leonard had to actually tell himself to breathe, because when he saw Alex she was in a very short robe and, wow, did she have nice legs. "Yeah, here take all you want." he barely got out without sounding too silly.

Alex took the floss and tore off some, then gave it back and headed straight out of his room. As she was leaving, she turned, "Thank you, I hope I haven't forgotten any other things." and then she was gone, back in her room.

Leonard had watched her go, having another good look at her backside as she walked away. It was a second or two, after she was gone, that he was able to stop looking in the direction she had left. Leonard, shook his head, and thought 'Wow', the second time today.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Penny returned, from the Cheesecake Factory, to her apartment about 10 PM that night. Leonard had never called and when she tried calling him a few minutes ago, all she got was voice mail before the first ring, so his phone was still off. She was a little concerned, so she decided she would contact Bernadette tomorrow and have her find out from Howard, about Leonard. She had arranged to have tomorrow off for her audition and she was planning on seeing Leonard one way or another before the day was through, so Howard maybe would have to help her. She felt sure that she would see Leonard tomorrow, so she tried to concentrate on thinking about her audition, as she went to sleep that night.

Penny arrival home Sunday evening was at the same time as Leonard and Alex were getting into Dr Fehr's car for their trip to the CERN facilities. Leonard and Alex were still a little tired from the time difference but at the same time excited because now their work of the last week was beginning. Leonard was going over his briefing cards while they drove and Alex just watched him, admiring the professional scientist Leonard had become, for the briefing. Leonard was sort of a rock star in the field of using lasers in physics research and in advanced laser technology for industrial and military applications. Alex felt truly lucky to be there with him and being part of his work.

The briefing at the CERN facility started at 8 AM with Leonard at the podium introducing himself and his colleague Alex Jensen. Leonard briefed for about two hours, then everyone took a break, had coffee and talked, especially to Leonard and Alex. Dr Glauser introduced Leonard and Alex to Dr Anna Droz and Alex took an immediate liking to the 30 year old brunette scientist. Dr Droz had also took a liking to Alex and they ended up talking during the whole break period. After the break, Leonard answered questions on his experiment and equipment, also allowing Alex to participate, especially when equipment transport and unpacking questions came up. Alex was seeing Leonard in his element and she was truly impressed, actually turned on by him.

Leonard's presentation was complete, by lunch time, and all the questions answered. Leonard and Alex went to lunch with the CERN and guest scientists and were the center of attention during the whole meal, hardly finishing their meal before it was time to go. Leonard and Alex got to meet Dr Jan Blosch, their CERN representative for working directly with the Supercollider and the man responsible for providing support to their project. Jan was a fit 28 year old blonde male who immediately took a liking to Alex, which Leonard thought was really charming and made Alex a little bewildered.

The group broke up after lunch, with Leonard going off with Dr Glauser to meet some other scientists for a short discussion, and Alex going off with Jan to do a equipment receipt and check out.

"I need to go off with Dr Glauser for a little while, so are you going to be alright with Jan?" Leonard asked Alex.

"I think so, he sure is friendly. Will I have to meet you somewhere or will you come over to where we are?" Alex asked

"I should be able to come over and meet you." Leonard stated.

"OK, see you later." Alex then followed Jan, as he led the way.

Leonard ended up in discussions for over two hours, before satisfying all the additional questions the CERN personnel had and completing a list of activities for the rest of the week. When he finally met back up with Alex, she had all of the equipment unpacked and was over 50% complete on equipment checks. Leonard helped Alex complete equipment checks, allowing them to complete their work by 5:30 PM and finish for the day. Jan wanted to discuss the next days activities with Leonard and Alex so he suggested they have a working dinner together that night and they agreed.

Leonard and Alex were just sitting down to dinner, as Penny was driving to the offices of Glazer Productions. Penny showed up, this Monday morning, to the production company office, 15 minutes before her appointment and was asked to wait in the outside office until she was called, by the receptionist. Penny was now waiting in the outside office on the couch, very nervous, still not understanding how she got an appointment for an audition. The girl at the desk, Mary, was really nice and told her she would be called in soon, then offered Penny a drink but Penny was too nervous to drink anything. Penny was sitting for no more that 10 minutes before she was called in, to the inner office.

Penny walked into the office to find two men and a women sitting around a small conference table looking at her. The women was the first one to speak.

"Penelope, I am Nancy Wood, casting, and this is the director Ed Johnson and the producer Bob Martin. Please take a seat." Nancy stated.

"Hello, thank you for seeing me, everyone calls me Penny." Penny said, feeling a little foolish after she said it.

Penny sat down at the table, still nervous, and waiting for some one to say something.

"Penny, we need you to take a look at a list of words we are going to give you and read each one back to us." Bob then passed the list to Penny.

Penny looked at the list and couldn't help herself from chuckling at the first word.

Bob looked confused at her laugh, "Penny can I ask what is so funny?"

Penny immediately got serious, "I'm sorry, the first work "HOMEOSTASIS" is a word a friend of mine always uses to explain how he keeps his world balanced or in a state of equilibrium."

Ed Johnson immediately became curious "Penny, who is this friend?"

"Oh, she a Theoretical Physicist from Cal Tech, Dr Sheldon Cooper." Penny answered.

"Do you go to Cal Tech?" Ed asked.

"No, but a few of my friends work there." Penny responded

"Could I ask who they are?" Ed asked.

"Well, as I said Dr Cooper, then there is Dr Leonard Hofstadter, he is an experimental physicist, Dr Rajesh Koothrappali, he is an astrophysicist, and Howard Wolowitz, astronaut." Penny answered.

Ed, Bob and Nancy stared at her for a few moments, making Penny feel a little uncomfortable. Ed was especially surprised, because Ed's younger brother was a PHD in mathematics and he always told Ed that girls, like this pretty blonde in front of him, never had anything to do with nerds like him. Ed was close to his younger brother, and Penny liking guys like him, immediately made him take a liking to her.

"Thanks Penny. Could you read the rest of the list now?" Ed asked

Penny, relieved now, that someone had said something, then went down the list of words. As she read, she realized they where all technical and scientific words, from hearing the same or similar words, talking to the guys. She had always checked her dictionary, after being with the guys, to see what the words meant and how to pronounce them, so now reading them was pretty easy. She went down the list of about a hundred words, then stopped and looked up to see everyone staring at her again.

Ed spoke first, "Penny would you mind stepping outside for a few minutes."

"Ok, thank you." Penny said as she got up and walked out. It took all of her control, not to cry, while sitting outside the office, because she knew she just blew her audition.

After Penny left and closed the door, Ed smiled, "Lets have her read."

"You sure Ed, she doesn't have much experience, only a commercial and a couple of plays." Bob responded.

Ed was still smiling, "Bob she read the list of terms almost perfectly, tell me one girl we seen so far that has done so well, and she has the perfect look. She looks like the girl next door, kids and parents will love her. I have a hunch, I say we let her read."

Bob just nodded, "You're the director."

Penny was sitting on the couch, just waiting for someone to tell her that she was done and they would call her if they needed her, when the door opened from the inner office. Ed, the director, walked over to her and he was smiling.

"Penny, it is about lunch time, so we're going to lunch and you should get some lunch too. We'll be back at the studio at about 1 PM, could you met us there then, we want you to do a reading. Mary will give you a lunch voucher for the cafeteria and directions to the studio. Can you make it?" Ed said

Penny's heart was beating so hard she couldn't believe Mr Johnson couldn't hear it. "Yes, Mr Johnson I can make it."

"Good then see you later." Ed then took her to see Mary, the receptionist, and wished her good luck.

As Penny was getting something to eat, Leonard and Alex were getting back to their rooms, from dinner. Both were very tired, from still adjusting to the time difference and the strenuous day they had. As they went into their rooms, they found the doors between their rooms had been pinned open by the maid. Alex gave Leonard a little smile as she passed the open door and went deeper into her room, Leonard didn't know exactly what to do. He was confused, Alex didn't do anything to close her door even a little bit, and he had agreed to leave the doors ajar because of her insecurity, but wide open was a little bit of a surprise to him. He finally decided that since she was the women, he would let her decide the state of the doors and he would just have to do all his changing in the bathroom, if she decided to keep them as is.

Alex, on the other hand, had no intention of closing the doors, the rest of their stay. This is where she wanted them to be in the first place, because it now make it like they were sharing one big room, which was much more intimate. Alex had brought two types of pajamas with her on this trip, regular flannel long pajamas and short nighties. Last night she wore her flannels to bed, after she had visited Leonard, for dental floss, wearing only her panties and a short robe, but she thought from now on she would wear the short nighties to bed, because you never knew when you might be embarrassingly caught, in your nightie, without a robe, by the man next door.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Penny went to the cafeteria and got a light lunch of taco salad and diet coke. She was so excited and nervous she could hardly eat, they were going to have her read for a part on a TV show! The studio was not far but after each bite of salad she took, she would look at her watch, making sure she wasn't going to late.

Penny was ten minutes early to the studio, so she just sat and waited while a couple people set up the camera. There was a lab table in the studio, like the one in her high school, when she took biology, a free standing door and one camera. Mr Martin, Mr Johnson and Ms Wood came in a few minutes after 1 PM and took chairs, set up in front of the lab table. Penny figured this was some kind of science character she was auditioning for because of the lab table, the words she had to read, previously in the office, and the lab coat one of the assistants just handed her.

Ed stood up and handed Penny a few pages of script, then told her the assistant, John, would read the other part on the script, and set the scene for Penny. The scene was that Penny was a scientist explaining an experiment to a preteen child who was visiting her, so she was suppose to be knowledgeable but compassionate to the child. Ed then sat down and said action.

Penny was really nervous, she really didn't expect a scene like this, so when she did it the scene she knew it wasn't that great. Immediately after Penny and John completed the scene, Ed came up to her and gave her a couple of instructions and told her were she needed some corrections to her character. Ed was really nice and Penny listened carefully. When he was done, Ed then sat back down and said action again.

Penny repeated the scene and knew she nailed it when she saw Ed, Bob and Nancy all smiling, after she was done. She was feeling a lot better now and getting a little confidence. Ed took her script pages and gave her some more pages then led her over to a free standing door. This scene was a greeting scene for the preteen child coming to Penny's lab. Penny acted the scene and then Ed came up and gave her some more pointers, asking her to do the scene again. The second time around Penny saw them all smiling again.

Ed then gave Penny a third set of script pages, this time for a scene where Penny is explaining something technical to the same child, while both of them sat in chairs. Penny did the scene again, with John, and using Ed's previous pointers and was able to get it right the first time. As soon as she completed the scene, she looked over to Ed, Bob and Nancy to see them all huddled together talking. She stood there biting her lower lip waiting for further instructions, from the three people sitting in front of her.

"Penny, thank you, can wait here for a few minutes?" Ed asked

"Yes, of course." Penny responded, then she took a seat.

Ed, Bob and Nancy left the studio and got together in a nearby office. After they left, Penny didn't know what to think, she knew she blew two of the scenes and had to do them over, but the director wanted her to do them again, that was good, right? She didn't know whether to be happy, sad or just worried. This not knowing was killing her.

"I like her, hire her." Ed stated, looking at Bob and then Nancy.

"You sure, she is the one, even with her lack of experience? You had to do a couple of those scenes twice with her." Bob asked.

"Bob, she is a natural, and her lack of experience means she also has no bad habits. Did you see how she corrected her acting when I told her what she needed to do, then provided us a good scene. I can really work with her. She'll be find and remember we are only doing a pilot, not signing her on for a series, so if she is not liked by the network we can replace her with someone else for the series. But to tell you the truth, I think they'll like her." Ed stated

Bob looked at Nancy, "Ok, Nancy put her on contract for the pilot, with a clause that she has to do 24 additional episodes if the show is picked up."

"What about the other 3 girls, I have coming in later this afternoon." Nancy asked

"Tell them we are considering them for guest parts, if the show gets picked up and get their information." Ed told her.

Nancy picked up the phone and relayed the information to her assistance and asked him to bring a commitment contract to their studio office.

Penny has been sitting for almost an hour, when Ms Wood came to get her and bring her to the office. Ed and Bob were in the office waiting for her when Nancy and Penny entered. Penny sat down across from them and waited for the good or bad news.

"Penny, we want you for the female scientist lead on our pilot and if the show gets picked up, we need you to commit to at least 24 episodes of the first season. What do you say, do you want the part?" Ed told her.

Penny couldn't believe her ears, a TV pilot, with a possible series, hell yes she wanted the part. "Yes, Mr Johnson, I would like the part." she said, trying her hardest to control herself from jumping up and down and screaming.

"Do you have an agent?" Nancy asked.

"No." Penny answered

"OK, well I will go over the contract and salary part with you before you sign." Nancy said

Ed and Bob got up to leave, but before he was out the door Ed said, "See you in two weeks, Penny." Then she was left with Nancy.

Nancy explained the filming schedule, gave her more information on her character and went over the contract with Penny. Two hours later, Penny and Nancy were finished, and Penny left with a copy of the contract and several information sheets with contacts and filming schedule information. She also had an appointment with Nancy, a week before filming, to go over the final details before they started.

Penny walked to her car in a daze, her smile getting bigger and bigger as she approached it. She not only got a part on a TV show, it was the lead character and it could end up being a series! She couldn't believe it, it was like she found a magic lamp and a genie had granted her wish, never in her wildest dreams did she think this would happen. She was called in to audition and she got the job, how did this happen, oh hell, who cares, she got the part, she was so happy.

She was at the door of her car, when she couldn't hold it any longer and started to do a happy dance, which she thought must have made her look like a nut, but she didn't care who saw. She finally calmed down, got out her phone and sent texts to all the gang to ask them all to meet at Sheldon's apartment at 7 PM, the take-out was on her and she had some great news to tell everyone. She also told Howard and Raj to make sure they brought Leonard.

Raj and Howard were leaving Cal Tech when they got the text messages. Raj looked at Howard with an expression of confusion and concern.

"Has anyone told Penny that Leonard is in Switzerland with Alex?" Raj looked at Howard.

"No, I don't think so." Howard answered.

"Well should we?" Raj asked

"No, I need to talk to Bernadette about this, before we do anything." Howard answered.

"Dude she is probably going to be really upset when she finds out, you know." Raj responded.

"I know Raj, that is why I have to talk to Bernadette first." Howard reiterated.

"Ok, don't get your panties in a bunch, I was just saying." Raj finished

Howard and Raj were sitting on the couch of Howard's and Bernadette's apartment looking at a very worried Bernadette. They had just gone over their emails from Penny and what had happened, concerning Leonard and his trip, and what, if anything, Penny knew. They all knew Penny had no idea that Leonard was out of the country, with Alex and would be gone for a month. They also all agreed that this was bad, very bad.

Bernadette finally sighed, "I will tell Penny about Leonard."

"And Alex." Raj added.

"No, not Alex. There is no reason to tell her about Alex right now. We don't know if there is anything going on between them, so definitely nothing about Alex." Bernadette was staring at Raj

"Ok, nothing about Alex." Raj said quietly

"I was really hoping not to have to tell her for a while, so it would be closer to when Leonard was suppose to return, when she found out. Then maybe it wouldn't have been so bad for her, if he was coming back in a week or two, but now he has the whole month before he comes back." Bernadette said to no one really, but herself.

Raj, Howard and Bernadette arrived at Sheldon's apartment a little before 7 PM and found Amy already there. Bernadette had not figured exactly when she would talk to Penny but she knew it would be tonight.

"Do you know what news Penny has to tell us?" Amy asked as Bernadette sat down.

"I don't know for sure but she said she had an audition today so maybe it has something to do with that." Bernadette answered

"Well maybe they were spell-bound by her beauty and gave her a part. She deserves a break after all those auditions she has gone on." Amy responded

"She would be much better off if she gave up on her stupid obsession with being an actress and do something more along her educational experience, like running a pony ride at the carnival." Sheldon added.

Raj, Howard, Bernadette and Amy sat there and stared at him, like he was crazy.

It was slightly dark but Leonard saw her standing there in the dim light, he quietly walked up behind her, putting his arms around her waist and his face into her neck. He gently kissed her neck and she slightly leaned back into his kisses. She turned her head slightly towards him, gently moaning his name, as she became lost in his caress. She pulled his hands from her waist to her breasts, and he cupped them both, amazed at the thinnest of the fabric she was wearing. As he touched her hard erect nipples she moaned again, her body melting against his. Then she turned to him and put her mouth to his, he was now lost, kissing her deeply, their tongues exploring each other mouths and their bodies pressed close together. She started to moan, "Please Leonard, Please!" and their clothes seemed to fall off them. He mounted her and she gave a little gasp, saying, "I love you, Leonard." which he returned, "I love you Penny." PENNY! His mind suddenly registered he had to be dreaming and abruptly he was coming out of his sleep. Leonard became fully awake and laid there is his bed, trying to remember every detail of his dream. He was feeling cold and lonely, he missed her so much at that moment and he wished she was there with him. It took him over an hour to get back to sleep that night, tossing and turning the whole rest of the night.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It was a couple minutes after seven when Penny started to walk up the stairs to Sheldon's apartment, with all the takeout bags of food. Ever since she left the studio she had been practically floating through everything she did, she was so happy. As she walked up the stairs, she was thinking she would get to talk to Leonard tonight and things would be better, she just knew it, because today was her day. It was with this extreme happiness she walked in the apartment door to greet all her friends, and to be let-down immediately when it registered to her mind that Leonard was not there. Penny put down the food on the coffee table, sat in Leonard's chair and looked at her friends.

"Is Leonard coming?" Penny asked, disappointment clearly showing on her face.

Bernadette took a quick intake of air and looked at Howard. Howard was obviously not happy he was going to have to tell Penny the bad news, but Bernadette was probably right, it should come from him, not Sheldon.

"Penny, Leonard is in Switzerland at the CERN Supercollider doing an experiment." there Howard said it.

Penny just stared at him, thinking 'Leonard's out of the country? How? Why didn't he tell me?' Penny was just about to ask Howard, when he left, when.

"And he took my assistant Alex with him!" Sheldon blurted out.

Penny's head shot to Sheldon and her mouth fell open. Her mind tried to process what Sheldon said. Leonard had tried to take Penny to Switzerland for Valentine's day a few years ago, for a very romantic week and now he was there with Alex. Penny knew who Alex was, she was beautiful and everything Penny wasn't, she was perfect for Leonard. Penny's chest started to hurt, and she realized Leonard was gone and with someone else and she had really lost him. She jumped up from the seat and ran out of the apartment, to her own apartment, barely getting through her door before she lost it and began crying.

Everybody had at first turned to stare and Sheldon, with their mouths open, when he made the statement about Alex, making Sheldon a little confused. Penny's sudden departure, broke them all out of their trance, and their concern for her replaced their shock at what Sheldon carelessly said.

Bernadette got up and went after Penny while Amy sat there and stared at her boyfriend.

"Sheldon, how could you?" Amy asked, almost shouting

"Leonard stole my assistant and Howard said they are probably having coitus!" Sheldon offered as an excuse.

Amy just shook her head, "So you think hurting Penny, somehow makes it right? What did she do to you?"

Sheldon stared at her, "Leonard has upset everything around me!"

"What did Penny do to you?" Amy repeated

"Nothing" Sheldon responded

"So why did you just tear her heart out?" Amy asked

Sheldon sat there thinking a minute, "I may have crossed some line, I think." Sheldon finally answered.

"Sometimes you are such an ass!" Amy responded, then got up and went to Penny's apartment.

Sheldon just watched go, then looked at Howard and Raj.

"Sheldon, you have done some really cruel things before, but you might have topped them all today. Do you have any idea how much you just upset Penny?" Howard asked

Raj shook his head, "Dude, what you did was so wrong, you are a real ass."

Before Sheldon could respond, Howard and Raj stood up and walked out of Sheldon's apartment. Sheldon just sat alone in his apartment, with a coffee table covered with still hot takeout food, so after thinking about it a few seconds, he picked up his food and started eating.

Penny laid on her bed crying so hard she could hardly breathe and she couldn't stop. She sensed someone was sitting next to her, holding her, but she didn't care, her whole life had just come crashing down. Leonard had become her life and now he was with someone else and she would never have him again, it was too much to accept. She couldn't understand any of it, she had such a memorable day and now everything had gone horribly wrong, she lost Leonard, she lost the man she loved. The pain, it hurt so bad, she kept having to try to breathe, but she kept choking, oh God, I've lost Leonard, kept going through her mind. No, please NO!

Bernadette had Penny in her arms and Amy was rubbing her back, but to what good it was doing they didn't know. If Amy was asked she would have said Penny was almost hysterical in her grief. They were also both a little worried about her because she was actually starting to choke a little bit on the mucus that was coming out of her nose, she was crying so hard. After one bad coughing fit, Bernadette told Amy to get a warm wash clothe so they could clean her face so she could breathe better. It had help a little, but Penny was still in a real bad way, her body racked with spasms from her sobbing.

All Penny could think of was Leonard, all Penny wanted was Leonard, without Leonard nothing else seemed to matter. Penny was hopelessly in love with Leonard, she had tried to deny it for so long and now feeling was too strong to keep hidden. She felt truly lost, she felt even more lonely than she had before, Leonard had someone else. The thought of another women touching Leonard, kissing him and holding him at night just make her cry more.

Like a person who was facing death, her whole life with Leonard flashed in front of her eyes, in her mind. The first time she had seen him, he was so shy and adorable, she immediately liked him and trusted him. They quickly became friends and then the night of her Halloween part, when Kurt picked on him, she kissed him, she had wanted him, he had become something more than a friend. Schrödinger's cat would always be special to her, just because it defined their first true date and that first amazing kiss. She was scared and ended up thinking they could not be together because he was so much smarter than her, but when he went away for the summer, she decided she wanted him so bad she would take a risk with him. He was so cute and she loved it when he touched her, kissed her and made love to her. She was falling in love with him, but when he told her he loved her, he scared her so bad, because she knew he was really serious and she was scared again. Her answer, to his admission of love, was to break up with him, hurting own self badly and it made her realize how special he was, especially when Priya took him away. Then she got him back and everyday with him, she became more attached to him and she knew she loved him. He asked her to marry him and she got mad, not because he asked during sex, but because she was scared, again. After that scare, she tried to break up with him again, because that was her way, when she got scared, she ran, but she couldn't run away from him, because she loved him. Her friends helped her and she became more involved in his life and his world, he amazed her with his brilliance and dazzled her in ways no other man could. She fell even more in love with him, so when he became worried she would leave him for another, she told him she loved him, which made him happy and to her surprise, made her happy, too. Their admitting their love to each other had made things even better, she was happy, then they made the trip to Las Vegas, it was magical, him holding her while they danced, she could still feel him. She was enthralled by him that night and she knew if he would have asked her again, to marry him, she would have said yes. She knew then he was her future, she couldn't picture herself with anyone else. That was only a memory now, he was with someone else, he was gone, her future destroyed before her eyes, so she wept.

Penny was sobbing in Bernadette arms when Howard showed up in the bedroom doorway. Howard had changed a lot, since marrying Bernadette, she really was making him a better man, so seeing his friend Penny in so heartbroken a state and his wife Bernadette so sad trying to comfort her, pulled at his heart in ways he never had felt before.

"Do you want me to get you some overnight stuff?" Howard quietly asked Bernadette.

Bernadette nodded to her husband, "I'll be staying the night." she told him softly.

Howard just nodded, walked back outside Penny's apartment to the hall and met back up with Raj.

"I need to go home and get Bernadette's stuff, so we will have to go. Do you want to go now or go later when I come back? Your food still is in Sheldon's apartment." Howard said to Raj.

"No, I'll go with you. I sort of lost my appetite now." Raj responded, then started to follow Howard down the stairs to the car.

Amy whispered to Bernadette, "Do you want me to stay, too?"

Bernadette thought for a moment, "Amy could I call you in the morning after I know what is going to happen? You might have to come by and take over for me, I don't know."

"Ok, I can get some time off, if you need me. I'll go home and get some sleep and talk to you tomorrow." Amy responded then she got up and left Penny's apartment.

Amy went into the hall and over to Sheldon's apartment. Upon entering she found Sheldon still in his spot, eating his food and watching TV. Somehow it just looked so wrong to her.

"Sheldon, I'm leaving for home." Amy told Sheldon

"Amy, you didn't touch your food, aren't you hungry?" Sheldon asked

"I'm not feeling hungry anymore, Sheldon." Amy responded

"Are you feeling sick, Amy Farrah Fowler?" Sheldon asked

Amy thought how could he be so clueless, and uncaring, it made her mad. "Yes Sheldon, I am a little sick of the way you acted tonight and how you uncaringly hurt Penny. Goodnight Sheldon." Amy turned on her heels and left Sheldon's apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Sheldon sat in his spot wondering why everyone was so upset, he was the one who's routine was altered by Leonard and Alex, what reason did they have to complain. He thought, 'Oh who cares', then grabbed the TV controller and changed the channel to another good science fiction show, to watch while he ate his dinner.

Howard drove towards Raj's apartment to drop him off for the night. Raj had moved back in, while Leonard was in Europe, which really pissed Sheldon off because now he had to take the bus to work.

"Howard, do you think Leonard and Alex are doing it?" Raj asked out of the clear blue.

Normally Howard would respond with something inappropriate like 'I certainly would be hitting that stuff', but now after seeing Bernadette and Penny all he could say, "I really hope not Raj."

Raj just nodded and sat quietly the rest of the trip to his apartment, lost in his own thoughts.

Howard also drove and was thinking how now Penny was his and Bernadette's friend and so was Leonard, so he really wanted them both to be happy. If they were happy together then they needed to be together, and he wished he could help. It actually made him sad that his friends were so hurting, and he hated that his wife was hurting because of it, too.


	23. Chapter 23

**NOTE: I should have put this in before, there is a 9 hour difference between Geneva and Pasadena in this story, with Geneva either being later in the day or the next day when compared to Pasadena time.**

Chapter 23

Howard returned to Penny's apartment about 9 PM with Bernadette's overnight supplies. Penny was not crying hard anymore, but she was curled up on her bed, in the fetal position, her arms and legs wrapped around a big pillow from her bed. Her face was buried in the pillow and every so often you could hear a something a sniffle to a sob from her. Bernadette was rubbing her back, with a concerned look on her face. When Bernadette saw Howard in the doorway of Penny's bedroom she stood up and took a couple of step to him.

In almost a whisper, "She is still pretty bad, I need to stay the night." Bernadette told Howard.

"Yeah, no problem, I understand. Is there anything I could do." Howard responded very quietly.

"No, I think this will be fine. I just wished they had talked before Leonard left." Bernadette whispered

Suddenly Howard thought of something, "They can still talk." he said.

Bernadette looked at him "Huh, how?"

"I have his email address, I can contact him and have him Skype later, maybe over the weekend with her." Howard whispered, smiling.

"Oh Howie, can you set that up. She really needs to talk to him, bad." Bernadette answered

"I think, I'll have no problem getting him on his Cal Tech email, to set something up, because he probably checks regularly and then, I'll see what I can do." Howard answered

Bernadette looked at her husband and smiled, "Thanks Howie, I love you." Bernadette then leaned up to kiss him.

"I love you, too." Howard whispered back, leaning down to kiss her.

Bernadette went back to the bed, to be with Penny, again sitting with her and rubbing her back, because she didn't know what else to do. Howard left the bedroom doorway, going to Penny's apartment door, then stopped looking back. How things have changed, he thought, he had his wonderful wife Bernadette and they were happy, Penny and Leonard were so happy together, except when they tried to move their relationship along, then things got weird. They somehow needed to get this fixed, and Penny and Leonard needed their relationship fixed. Howard opened up the door, left the apartment, and went to his car to go home, to get some sleep. As he drove home, he thought, this week at work was going to interesting.

Leonard was up and ready for the day by 6AM, a little earlier that usual. Last night's dream had been disturbing to him, because it made him think how much he still cared for Penny. He thought he could move on, but Penny was so much a part of his life, he wasn't sure he could and now he kept thinking that maybe he had made a big mistake. He couldn't help but to also think back to her text and then what Sheldon said, which made him even more confused. He wasn't sure what to do and he really didn't know if he should do anything, he had started this, it wasn't his right to change it now, was it? Eventually, he decided to try and not think about it, at least today, he had so much to do at the Supercollider today, and he needed to be able to concentrate.

Alex popped through the door a moment later to ask him if he was ready to eat, so Leonard left with her to focus on the day ahead and breakfast. They were picked up by their ride again at 7 AM and by 8 AM supervising the movement of their equipment. Once he started, Leonard forced himself to devote all his attention to his work, because today Alex and him had a lot to get done.

Penny finally fell asleep about midnight that evening, exhausted from the stress and crying. Bernadette settled down on the couch, lost in her own thoughts, that maybe she was partly responsible for Penny's grief. She should have told Penny about Leonard going to Europe and about Alex, as soon as she knew, and not tried to filler information to her, she wouldn't make that same mistake again. Bernadette lay awake, with guilt, for a while until sleep crept up behind her and took her.

The day was extremely busy for Leonard and Alex, but because of that fact, it had went by extremely fast. They were working so hard that they even had lunch brought in so that they didn't have to waste too much time eating. Jan had been with them most of the day, helping a lot, but also flirting a little with Alex, who seemed not to notice. Leonard sort of got a kick out off watching them, when Jan was trying to get Alex's attention, it was sort of funny and took his mind off things. Jan was well built, blonde, handsome, a little older than Alex and full of confidence, while Alex was beautiful, smart, very well built and sexy, they were sort of made for each. Leonard sort of wanted to kid and tease Alex about Jan, but he was never comfortable doing that with very pretty girls, like Alex, and it was years before he could even do that with Penny. So he just amused himself watching their social foreplay while he worked.

Alex, was happy, as she could be, working with Leonard, she had learned so much from the last few days and she thought he was just so cute. He really took charge when it had anything to do with his experiment, so much the alpha male directing the movement and set up of his equipment. Being with him all day, being close to him, was exciting to her, but she wished Dr Blosch would leave them alone some so she could have more personal time with Leonard. She wanted to be with him alone for a few hours, so they could talk, and maybe become a little more friendly with each other. Alex hoped that her and Leonard would have some alone time together, while they were here in Switzerland, some romantic time.

Leonard and Alex had been working steady all afternoon, not looking at the time, until they tried to get an electrician for some wiring modifications and found out everyone had gone home for the day. It was 6:30 PM already, so Jan offered to take them to dinner before they went to their rooms, at a little place, he recommended, and Jan thought would impress Alex. Jan really like this American female scientist and he usually got any girl he went for, so he set his sights on Alex.

Bernadette was up early and went into Penny's bedroom to find her awake, just staring.

"Penny, how long have you been awake?" she asked.

"Since daylight." Penny responded.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Bernadette asked and she sat down next to her.

"I don't know, I just feel that I am watching someone else's life going by, not mine." Penny answered.

"It will get better, Penny." Bernadette offered.

Penny looked at her, "Will it? I don't know, I don't think so, I don't think there is anyone else in the world like Leonard. And I want someone like Leonard, no I want Leonard." Penny had raised her voice significantly when she said 'I want Leonard'.

Penny then sat up, "Bernadette did you know Leonard was going to Switzerland? Did you know Alex was going? I am asking because Howard knew and he tells you everything." Her voice had a deliberate, almost an accusing tone to it.

Bernadette swallowed hard, "Yes, I knew he was leaving Wednesday and that Alex was going with him."

Penny had been so hurt the last few weeks, and she had no one to blame but herself, but now that Leonard had gone away, she had someone to blame for it, Bernadette. Two weeks of grief, came out in anger.

"How could you not tell me?" Penny almost shouted, her face covered in disbelief.

Bernadette was taken back by Penny's sudden outburst, "I'm sorry, I didn't think you needed more bad information just then."

"What gives you the right to decide that! I maybe could have stopped him leaving with her. We could maybe be together now. How could you!" Penny was shouting now.

Bernadette was feeling horrible, "I'm sorry, Penny."

"Get out of here, I don't want you around now. Just leave!" Penny was still shouting and pointing at the door of her apartment.

"Penny…But" Bernadette was trying to find the right words

"Get out of here. Leave me alone. GO!" Penny was pissed off and shouting at the top of her lungs.

Bernadette ran out Penny's bedroom, grabbing up all her stuff, then left, tears falling down her cheeks. Bernadette cried all the way home to her apartment, hating herself for what she had done to hurt Penny.

Penny's temper drained away as soon as Bernadette left, leaving the only thought, in her head, that she had to get ready for work. She went to her small kitchen and started the coffee pot, then opened her silverware drawer to get a spoon and stopped. She stood there looking into the drawer at the four steak knives sitting next to her butter knives. She thought, the pain just won't go away, it will never go away because Leonard is gone, I want it to go away. She knew from the guys, that the artery that flowed more blood than the wrist was the one in a person's thigh and, if cut, a person would bleed out quick, but this artery was deep in the leg. Where a razor was good for the wrist, a knife was better for the leg, and there were four of them in front of her. She reached down and touched the steak knives, wondering how painful it would be, she hated pain. She grabbed the handle of one of the knives, thinking it would probably be painful for only a little bit, but then all the pain would be over and she wanted so much for the pain to be over. What did she have to live for anymore, Leonard didn't want her, she had no future anymore.

'Leonard my darling, I love you.' she thought. She could see him at her funeral, him looking at her in her casket and him crying, he would blame himself, it would hurt him so much, he would never forget and it would be her fault again. She would be hurting him again, like so many times before, she just couldn't hurt him anymore, she had promised herself she would never hurt Leonard again, so she moved her hand away from the knives, and slammed the drawer closed. Penny put both her hands on the counter, to brace herself, as she started to cry again, she just saw no hope for herself. She could do nothing to stop the pain, because she couldn't hurt Leonard, she just couldn't hurt Leonard anymore, and she decided she would just have to live with the pain, somehow. Penny finally, dug up enough strength to stand up from the counter and head to her shower, so she could get ready for work, tears still falling down her face.

Penny never realized, that morning, that she made on of the most selfless decisions a human being can do for another, she put Leonard's well being above her own. Penny was truly in love with Leonard, and her life, from now on, would never be the same.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The dinner was excellent and the small restaurant was quaint, Leonard and Alex enjoyed themselves, and, of course, Jan enjoyed Alex's company. By the end of dinner, Leonard and Alex were tired, their hard day of work catching up on them, so they requested Jan take them to their rooms when he suggested they go for a couple of drinks. As soon as they got to their rooms, Leonard and Alex got ready for bed, the only things on their minds was sleep. They both fell almost instantly into a dreamless sleep till morning.

Penny had worked hard all day, she kept as busy as she could and put in as much effort as possible, not to get more tips but to keep her mind from thinking too much. She was scared about how she felt and what would happen next in her life, she didn't want to think about it, so she tried to concentrate on her work and put everything else out of her mind. When she did think, it was about maybe going back home to Nebraska, California offered nothing for her anymore, except bad memories. Leonard would accept her leaving, she would tell him her actress career was a dead end, she thought he would understand that and he would not feel bad, so she could go. Besides he had Alex now so he wouldn't miss her too much, and Alex probably wouldn't want him seeing her anymore anyway. She knew she couldn't stand seeing him with another woman, it was Priya all over again, only worse, Alex was probably even better for him than her. She also thought that if she stayed, something would happen and she would do something to hurt him, again and every time she thought about that she wanted to cry. So she tried not to think about it, so she didn't break down on the restaurant floor, like she knew she would if she let it take over her mind.

As the day went on, another thing she kept thinking about, that did bother her a lot, she had been horrible to Bernadette that morning and Bernadette was her friend. She was still a little upset about Bernadette not telling her everything, but she was also upset that she yelled at Bernadette because she knew Bernadette would never intentionally hurt her. She had to do something about that too, why did she hurt so many people around her, she thought. So she decided that as soon as she got off work she would head over to Bernadette's apartment.

Bernadette and Howard were just about to get ready for bed when they heard the knocking on their door. Howard went to open it and was totally surprised to see Penny.

"Hi, Howard, Is Bernadette here." Penny asked.

Bernadette cautiously approached the door. "Yes. Penny?"

"I'm sorry Bernadette. I had no right to yell at you. I know you were only trying to help. It's just hard you know." Penny stated.

"I'm sorry Penny, I didn't mean to hurt you." Bernadette was on the verge of tears

Both girls approached each other, hugged and started crying. Howard smiled a little because he knew their tears were happy tears, he had just spent most of the night trying to comfort his unhappy wife, who had been drowning in guilt. They held each other for a few more seconds then parted smiling at each other and saying they were both sorry again. Howard could see that all was made up between them and they were back to being best friends. Howard also thought this was a good time to ask, since Bernadette and him had decided, that night, that they would not keep secrets from Penny any more.

"Penny, do you still want to talk to Leonard?" Howard asked.

Penny looked at him, "Yes". She had answered without even thinking.

"I think I can set up a Skype session with him this weekend. If you want me to?" Howard asked.

"Yes, I really want to talk to him." Then it hit her, "But what if he doesn't want to talk to me?" Penny looked at Bernadette and Bernadette saw Penny was on the verge of crying again.

"I'll tell him I need to talk to him about something important, OK. I will do anything I can to get him on, OK." Howard offered.

Penny looked at Howard, uncertainty all over her face, "I don't know, he is with Alex, he probably doesn't want to talk or see me. I don't know."

"Penny, I don't know if Leonard and Alex are really together. Alex was assigned to him for this project, by the university. I don't know if he requested her or not, but she is there to assist him as part of the Cal Tech team, not his girlfriend." Howard stated.

Penny thought about it for a few minutes, she really wanted to talk to Leonard, of all the things that had happened that was one thing she was sure of, she wanted to talk to him, but she didn't want to intrude in his life, either. She wanted to tell him to his face that she loved him and if he was not with Alex, she wanted very much to know, but she also didn't want to make it difficult for him. She didn't know what to do, this may be her last chance with Leonard, she didn't know if it was right for her to try.

"Thank you Howard. I want to talk to him, but I'm not sure. You're a good friends, both of you are. But what if Leonard and Alex are now together? I would just make things awkward for them and make Leonard uncomfortable." Penny finally answered.

"Penny you can't think like that. Leonard loves you." Bernadette pleaded.

Penny thought, 'Leonard probably does love me, he told me he would love me forever and he would not lie about that, but he is probably trying to find someone now who he can love and will love him back.'

"I don't want to ruin it, if he is with Alex. I can't do that to him, I've hurt him too much already. He deserves to be happy." Penny was about to cry, she had to go.

Penny stopped for a minute to compose herself, "I have to go. I need to get some sleep, I have a long day at work tomorrow. Thank you guys for being my friend." Then she turned to leave.

"Penny, are you sure?" Howard asked as she turned.

"Penny, are you?" Bernadette added.

"I think so." She said.

"Penny if you change you mind, just let me know, Ok?" Howard said.

"Thank you." Penny opened their door and walked out.

Penny walked to her car, got in, and let the tears fall. She wanted to talk to Leonard, but that was what she wanted, not necessarily what Leonard wanted, so she decided to do what was best for Leonard. She started her car left for her apartment, hurting again but a little happier than she had felt all day, just a little happier, she has done something for Leonard for a change.

It was a little after 6 AM and Leonard was dressed, trying to stretch his aching muscles before he went to breakfast, then to the Supercollider. He was sore, he had used muscles yesterday that he was sure he never used before and now he was paying for it. They had gotten a lot of work done yesterday and he was eager to get more done today, so he willed himself to ignore the pain and pack up his bag to get ready to go.

Alex popped two aspirins, she was hurting all over, from yesterday's work. She was sitting in her desk chair fantasizing that all she wanted to do was lay in bed all day and have Leonard massage her sore body. She finally came out of her daydream, when she hear Leonard ask from the next room if she was ready to eat breakfast. Slowly she got up from her chair trying to look as perky as she could for him.

"How are you feeling?" Lenard asked Alex.

"I'm a little sore, but not too bad," Alex lied, she was real sore.

"Well I think we got most of the heavy work done, today should mostly be hooking up equipment." Leonard said.

"Ok, sounds good." Alex responded.

Alex and Leonard then made their way to the restaurant for breakfast and coffee. They were both quiet on the drive to the Supercollider, and Jan knew they were tired and sore, because he was tired and sore and he was in better shape than them. However, when they arrived, Jan was surprised they both got right to work, with their only concession being they both drank coffee all morning.

Penny slept reasonably well that night considering it had taken her a couple of hours to fall asleep. She had been going over in her head what she was going to do. She had been considering going back to Nebraska yesterday, but she finally remembered she had signed a contract to do the show pilot. She had to do it, she decided, but maybe that would be it and she could go back to Nebraska, she really didn't think she could live in Pasadena anymore after everything. She realized she had screwed up her priorities in life, she thought her dream of being an actress was the most important thing in her life and because of that she discovered she lost the most important thing in her life, Leonard. She now understood that every day she worked as an actress she would know she had sacrificed Leonard to be an actress and she didn't know she could live like that.

Wednesday, ended for Leonard and Alex the same was as Tuesday, they were both tired and not in the mood to do anything but eat and sleep. Alex had to work more with Leonard today, so Jan stayed away longer, which was fine with her because she liked being alone with Leonard. She would purposely stand as close to him as she could when she was getting instruction from him and even was touching him some which excited her. She didn't know what he felt about her being around him but at least he made no effort to make her move away, so that was encouraging to her.

Leonard was trying to do as much as he could while working, so that he really didn't have to think about Pasadena or Penny. Alex was a great help, she understood instructions quickly and when she went to do a task, she was quick and efficient. The problem was when see came to get another task, she stood so close to him, sometimes touching him, that he would forget what he was doing, by her distraction. She was so sweet and gentle and beautiful, plus she smelled really good, how was he suppose to keep his mind on his work, when she was so close to him, all the time. He sort of wished Jan was here to keep her distracted, so he could get his full concentration back on his work.

Penny got up early and started to get ready for work, she had another long day coming up today. As she got ready, she kept thinking how to put her life in order, she had no other choice, so she decided she better start. She was working every day, the rest of this week, and only had Monday off, next week, so she could go to her meeting with Nancy Wood. Then a week after her meeting, she had taken a week off so that she could do the pilot, because they told her it had to be done in a week or it would be a failure. She knew after the week of the pilot she would make her decision whether to stay in Pasadena or go home to Nebraska. She really wanted to talk to Leonard before she left, to say goodbye and maybe get some closure with him for both of them, but she knew she wouldn't push it, it was totally up to him if they met again. It really caused her pain, physical pain, that she might never see Leonard again, but she had to do what was right for him. 'If you love someone, you have to let them go' she remembered Leonard said that once about her leaving him, she loved him, so she had to sacrifice for him, like he had done for her.

Jan took Leonard and Alex to another restaurant, he recommended, that night and like the previous time, he was right and the meal was great. Leonard wasn't much for talking, that night, he was tired, not physically, mentally, and he still had a lot on his mind. The project was ahead of schedule due to his concentrating on the job, but when work was done, his mind would wander to other subjects, like Penny. Her voicemails, before he left, still bothered him, the tone of her voice actually worried him because she seemed 'desperate', he thought, but he also thought he must be wrong.

Alex talked to Jan, half listening to him, and trying to take glances at Leonard, who seemed very quiet when they had set down. He actually looked tired, really more than he should be, she wondered what was wrong, his moods were all over the place since they had gotten to Switzerland. They had been working really hard, maybe he was worried about the experiment, but everything seemed to be going well.

"Leonard, is something wrong?" Alex asked him

Leonard looked up from his food, 'No, I just have a lot on my mind. I'm sorry I'm not too social tonight, I guess I'm a little tired too." Leonard answered.

"Your not coming down with something, are you? Do you feel sick?" Alex asked him.

"No, No. I'm OK." Leonard said.

They continued eating, Alex listening to Jan and looking a Leonard every so often. They were back in their rooms by 8 PM that night and Leonard went directly to his room. Alex followed him.

"Leonard, are you sure you are right?" Alex asked. She walked up to him and put her hand to his forehead.

Leonard felt a little strange when Alex put her hand to his head, while asking if he was all right, Penny use to do the same thing to him. He wanted to ask Alex's opinion about what was happening with Penny, but he wasn't sure exactly what was happening to ask meaningful questions, so he decided to not say anything.

"I'm fine, but thanks for asking. I just want to go to bed and rest." Leonard answered.

"Ok, just call me if you need anything." Alex told him. She wished he would have talked to her, something was bothering him, she was pretty sure, because he wasn't hot or sick, she thought.

The next two days, Thursday and Friday, went fast for Leonard and Alex as they sent up the test equipment. Leonard was intensively involved in his work and Alex had trouble keeping up, but he accomplished something she didn't think possible, he finished the installation of his equipment by the end of the work day Friday, 3-4 days ahead of schedule. Now all he had to do was an equipment test Saturday morning and he was ready to begin his experiment testing Monday morning.

Penny was just going to work, late Friday morning, when Leonard was finishing up his equipment installation. Friday was going to be like Thursday, go into work early and leave at closing, then go to sleep, wore out and tired. It was her routine, and she was getting use to in, even yearned for it, because it kept her so busy. Penny sort of worked in a daze, in that she really didn't notice much more than what she was doing and that was all. She had asked herself, a few days before, 'Is this all there is?' and she hadn't been able to find a answer to her question, since. She really didn't care about work, except for it being someplace to go, she didn't like being in her apartment and she didn't like driving between them, so basically she wasn't doing anything that gave her any pleasure, day after day.

Leonard and Alex finished dinner and went straight to their rooms. They had turned down Jan again about getting a drink after dinner, because they were getting up early tomorrow to do equipment electrical checks, but they did say they would go out with him Saturday night. Now in their rooms, Alex was not too tired so she turned on the TV and started channel surfing when she found a channel playing Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, in English with French subtitles.

"Leonard, Star Wars is on." Alex shouted.

Leonard came through the door, "Really, Now, on TV?" he said with a little surprise in his voice.

"Yes, and it is in English." Alex said with excitement in her voice. "Want to watch it with me."

Leonard thought, 'Why Not', it would take his mind off of things if he watched something he liked. "Yeah sure."

Alex turned the TV so it was facing her bed then jumped on it, finding a comfortable position to watch. Leonard walked over and sat on the edge of the bed so he could watch too. After about an hour, Alex was laying on her side, on the bed, watching the TV and Leonard had stretched out behind and above her watching too. The movie ended a little less than a hour later and Alex turned the TV off and was about to turn and ask Leonard if he enjoyed the movie, when she heard him softly snoring.

Leonard looked so cute sleeping, Alex thought, and she didn't want to wake him, she liked him being in her bed like this. Alex, set her clock for them in the morning, turned of the light and pulled the covers over both of them. Alex wanted to be as close to him as possible so she backed her body to him, just touching him. Leonard, was a protective person, it must have been in his genes, when Penny moved her body close to him he would instinctively put his arm around her and pull her against him, if he was awake or even asleep. When Alex touched him, to her surprise, his arm came around her and pulled her to his chest in a spooning position, just like he always did with Penny. Alex was in total shock, not only was she touching him, she was being cuddled and held tightly against him, she loved it. Alex felt so comfortable and secure, she fell asleep a few minutes later, thinking things had just taken a very nice turn.

Penny got home Friday night to a dark apartment and a cold bed. Penny hated it but she had gotten use to it, it was her life now. She performed her normal routine now of getting ready for bed, then laying there for a while thinking, until she fell asleep. She knew she could be with a guy if she wanted, hell some handsome guy hit on her tonight at work, but the thought of another man's hands on her was revolting to her. To be honest, she knew if she slept with another man she would feel like she was cheating on Leonard, she didn't exactly know why, well yes she did, she loved Leonard, so no other man was good enough for her. It was after midnight when she finally fell asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The morning light started to shine through the room curtains, making Alex's room a little brighter. Leonard was very slowly coming awake, his biological clock now set to European time and his subconscious realizing it was time to start another day. As his mind slowly transitioned from restful sleep to being awake, he felt the sensation of another warm body tucked in close to him, still asleep. His mind, not fully awake, thought he was still asleep and having another dream about Penny and he did not want to wake up, he loved this feeling of her in his arms. When he had slept with Penny, holding her in his arms was, to him, one of the most intimate parts of their relationship, at that moment she was his, all his, he had no doubts, no insecurities, she was his. As he lay in bed, he didn't want to give up that feeling, that feeling that had been denied him the last few weeks. He pulled her gently a little closer, she was so soft and like many times before, he put his face into her hair just to smell her, but she didn't smell like Penny!

He immediately woke up and opened his eyes to see brownish red hair and slowly then started to realize who he was holding, it was Alex! His mind raced, he was trying to get his conscious fully awake and remember what happened last night, did they sleep together, did they have sex, he thought, 'No, please, NO! He was now fully awake, scared, he took a quick inventory and realized he still had all his clothes on, from last night, and Alex still seemed to have her clothes on from last night, too, so no sex, GOOD! He started to rationalize that they must have fell asleep watching the movie, they both were tired, and one of them must have thrown a blanket over them in the night. Leonard was somewhat relieved, but this still felt wrong to him, he had this horrible feeling like he had just cheated on Penny. He couldn't understand this feeling, he was broken up with Penny so he really didn't cheat, but why was he feeling guilty? Leonard very gently removed himself from Alex and then her bed, so as not to wake her from her peaceful sleep.

Leonard went to his room and sat in his chair, trying to figure out why he felt like he did, his logical mind said he should be moving on, but his soul would not let Penny go. Leonard wanted to get over Penny, no not wanted, he just thought he was suppose to want to get over Penny, but every minute they had been together was burnt into his soul and he didn't want to loose a single minute of it. Every second he had spent with Penny was the most wonderful time spent in his life, and he knew, his time with Penny, he would never forget. He sat in his chair, his head in his hands and a tear in his eye, wondering what he was going to do with the rest of his life.

The alarm went off, almost an hour after Leonard left, waking Alex and she reached over to turn it off, her movement making her realize that Leonard wasn't next to her anymore, and she didn't remember him leaving. She sat up in bed, and as she did, she could hear the shower from Leonard's room. She sat there wondering, did he get up at night, or did he just get up now, not wanting to wake her? A few minutes went by as she was thinking, she didn't know if what happen last nigh was good or bad, and she wanted it to be good. She thought, how could it not be good, all they did was sleep together, that is innocent, isn't it? Innocent, maybe not she thought, he had held her, like no boy had every held her before, she had felt so safe and secure with him, it wasn't innocent, it was intimate and she wondered if he had felt the same way. Alex heard Leonard's shower go off, so she finally decided to get ready and wait to see if Leonard said anything about last night, she hoped it hadn't made things awkward between them.

Leonard got out of the shower and heard Alex's shower going, thinking this morning might be a little uncomfortable between them. He admitted to himself that he liked Alex, but it just seemed weird that he had spent the night with her, in her bed, and he wondered if she felt that way too. Was he thinking too much, was the real reason he felt weird was because his heart was still with Penny, he couldn't answer his own questions, he just felt confused. So Leonard did what he always did, when his emotions had him confused, he forced himself to think about his work. He started to get dressed and while he was doing that he turned on his laptop to warm it up and check his email. Twenty minutes later, now dressed and ready, he was scrolling down his email, when he noticed an email from Howard, so he opened it and read it.

'Leonard, how are things going there in Switzerland? I would like to talk to you about something and so I would like to setup a Skype session with you. I can set it up to talk to you in person on Skype this weekend, in the morning or the afternoon your time, can you connect?' the email said

Leonard sent Howard a response, 'Ok, I can tomorrow morning, about 8 to 9 AM my time or 11 PM to midnight your time. What is going on?' and as a afterthought, 'Is Sheldon in trouble again?' He was surprised when he got a quick response from Howard, 'He must be on the computer now', Leonard thought.

'LOL, No, Sheldon hasn't been in any more trouble than he usually is in. He is a little more of a pain in the ass since you moved out and especially now that Raj is back at his apartment while you are gone, but Amy has now taken over his care. Amy has also moved temporarily in your old room, staying with him till Raj moves back, how about that! I'll tell you more when we Skype, see you then, and talk to you in about 24 hours.' Howard responded.

Leonard signed off, wondering what was so important, Howard couldn't give him some information on the email and had to talk to him face to face. Maybe Sheldon and Amy had sex, or now want to get married, or even started that stupid idea of theirs again about having a test tube baby. Maybe Bernadette is pregnant, that would be something personal they would want to tell him to his face. Oh well, with Howard it could be anything, he thought, then he closed his laptop, put it is his bag and went to meet Alex for breakfast.

Breakfast with Alex at first was a little awkward, because Leonard didn't really know what to say to her. Alex noticed how quiet Leonard was and was wondering if last night had ruined things for her with him. She felt stupid again, she wanted to figure out something that would lighten the mood between them and make last night seem like no big deal.

"So, did you sleep well? You were pretty tired last night and fell asleep before the movie ended." Alex asked, giving him a little friendly smile.

Leonard didn't know what to say, so he had fallen asleep on her bed, how awkward was that. He thought, 'Oh My God, did I cuddle up to her at night, Oh Crap!' he was really feeling uncomfortable on where this conversation was going, "I'm sorry Alex, I didn't mean to fall asleep like that on you, I'm so sorry!" Leonard felt embarrassed.

Alex saw his cheeks turn a little red, as he blushed, she thought, 'He is so cute.' She also saw he thought he had done something wrong, she had to put him at ease. "I fell asleep too, so when I woke up a little later in the night, I just turned off the TV and threw covers on us, I was really tired, so I didn't bother waking you, sorry. Really it's no big deal, I had that happen with friends before watching late night movies." She hoped that would make him feel better, and she was happy to see him make a small sigh before he spoke again.

'They both fell asleep, that's not as bad,' Leonard thought, 'And she didn't say anything about being in my arms, maybe she didn't know, good.' he sighed, "Oh, I guess we were both tired. Did you sleep well?" Leonard said with a friendly smile.

'Good, awkward moment over.' Alex thought, "Yeah, pretty good, I guess watching the movie relaxed me and made me sleep better." She told him, but thought, 'Being cuddled by you had nothing to do with it, cuddle-bug.' Alex gave him a big friendly smile.

Leonard and Alex talked the rest of the time, they were eating breakfast, about what they had to do that Saturday morning. Jan picked them up at 8 AM and drove them to the Supercollider and worked with them the rest of the morning, calibrating the equipment, they had set up, and running a preliminary tests, that included firing the lasers. Alex and Jan were real impressed with Leonard's work especially during the preliminary testing, Jan complementing Leonard on his on the setup.

Leonard's experiment was simple in theory but much harder in application. Scientists had never been able to prove that there was enough matter in the universe to support the Big Bang Theory, but most postulated that the Big Bang Theory was how it all began. There had been may experiments, in the pass, to try and find other sub atomic particles, in the universe, that could make up the matter needed to support the Big Bang Theory, but none had ended in success. Leonard thought that the reason we could not see this additional matter was because we lacked the sensors to detect it, so he thought that lasers could be used to help. He theorized that lasers could be used brighten up the matter so it could be detected with current sensor technology, by letting the laser deposit energy in the matter so it could be reflected and detected by sensors. He was at the Large Hadron Collider to refine the laser, energy and spectrum, using controlled subatomic particles in the collider to accomplish this refinement. If he was successful, he would provide the beginning for a new way to detect the matter that made up the universe and verify the Big Bang Theory.

Leonard's Saturday morning testing went on without a hitch, the equipment operating perfectly. They were now ready to start formal testing of Leonard's experiment Monday morning, days ahead of schedule. Leonard was happy, Alex was amazed by him and Jan was impressed, they wrapped up their work and were eating lunch by 1 PM, all of them extremely pleased.

"Alex, Leonard, we have to go out tonight and celebrate." Jan offered.

"Ok, Ok, I think we now have something to celebrate. What do you think, Alex." Leonard said.

Alex smiled, "That would be fun. What time do you want to meet?" she looked at Jan.

"I will pick you up at 6 PM, we can get a quick supper then go to a club, I know." Jan smiled, thinking how nice it would be to spend the evening with Alex, and maybe the night.

Jan drove back to the hostel, and Alex and Leonard got back to their rooms about 3 PM, each going to their separate room to catch up their personal work and get ready for their evening. Alex wondered if things were Ok with Leonard, he seemed happy after everything went well this morning. She really liked the idea of doing a little partying with him tonight, she really wanted to spend an evening with him just having fun.

Leonard was on his laptop, writing up his experimental notes from the last week, when he decided to check his email. Howard sent him information on the Skype session for tomorrow morning at 8 AM, Leonard still wondered what he wanted to tell him. Oh well, he'd find out tomorrow morning, he set his watch for 7:30 AM, so that he wouldn't miss the session.

Six PM rolled around and Leonard and Alex were ready, waiting at the door, for Jan to pick them up. It was only few minutes before Jan showed up to take them to another nice dinner restaurant, which was great, again, of course. Their meal went quickly, and they ended up at the club, Jan recommended, before 8 PM. The club was really something, very sophisticated, and the doorman seemed to know Jan well. Alex seemed very excited to Leonard, while Leonard thought this was a little out of his comfort zone. Another thing that bothered Leonard was the thought that Penny would have really liked this club.

Leonard only of heard of places like this, and he was never "cool" enough to go to a place like this club. Everyone in it was between their early twenties and middle thirties, dressed quite well, and he felt a little out of place. They found a small table and Jan ordered them drinks, beers for him and Leonard, and a mixed drink for Alex. Leonard waited for his drink, while watching all the people, on the packed dance floor, feeling even more out of place. Leonard started to feel that maybe it hadn't been a good idea to go out partying after all, he didn't see him having any fun here.

'Wow, this place was something', Alex thought, she really liked it. She was a struggling grad student and never been to a place like this before, so it was exciting for her. She told Jan, when he asked her what she was drinking, for a strawberry daiquiri, she wanted to seem more feminine, instead of just some nerd, so she ordered something different than her usual, wine or beer when she was friends. When she got her drink, she loved the strawberry flavor and finished it off pretty quick, which Jan then had refilled immediately. Alex was not much of a drinker so after her second daiquiri, many of her inhibitions were gone, so she wanted to dance.

Alex wanted Leonard to dance with her, "Leonard, do you want to dance?" She asked him.

"Alex, I really can't dance. Really I can't. But Jan probably can." Leonard looked at Jan, to try and get out of his discomfort.

"Please Alex, dance with me." Jan asked her with a funny pleading look on his face.

Alex was a little disappointed, she wanted to dance with Leonard, but now she was a little trapped, "Sure, lets go." she answered Jan, she thought, maybe this won't be too bad, because she did want to dance.

Leonard sat and watched Alex and Jan dance, while nursing his beer, they did make a nice couple, he couldn't but help think. After a couple of dances, Jan and Alex came back to the table and Alex almost inhaled her third daiquiri, then started her fourth when Jan talked her back out on the dance floor. Leonard felt like a third wheel, which was a feeling he had felt many times before when he was in school and college, but he was happy Alex was having fun. She had been a big help this week, making it possible for him to get days ahead in his project, so she deserved a night to party. Besides sitting alone at a table in a club, while other people were having fun, was not something new for him, and didn't bother him that much anymore.

As the night progressed Leonard was getting a little bored sitting at the table, Alex and Jan had been dancing and drinking most of the night and it was now just past 11 PM. Leonard had been in bed by this time all week so he was a little tired too, but he still didn't want to be a spoilsport because Alex looked like she was having a lot of fun. He was amazed at what a drinker Alex was, until she came back to the table with a glazed look in her eyes, giggling at everything and walking a little funny.

"Alex, are you Ok?" Leonard asked, her blank look pretty much answering his question.

Alex gave Leonard a big smile, too big, "I have been dancing." she said, she was not comprehending what he was saying too well.

Leonard now realized that Alex was real drunk, really probably too drunk and she needed to call it a night. "Alex, don't you think you had enough partying tonight and should go back to your room to sleep?" Leonard asked her.

Alex only heard and understood, 'Go back to room, to sleep with Leonard', she answered, again with a big smile. "Ok"

Jan was a little bit drunk too, not nearly as drunk as Alex, but he still didn't want Alex to leave, at least not without him, "Alex would you rather go home with me?" he asked her smiling.

Leonard, shot a look at Jan, Leonard really didn't think what Jan was asking was appropriate, Alex was drunk and Jan shouldn't even be thinking about her sleeping with him, in her state. "Jan she really has had too much to drink, she needs to go to bed." Leonard told Jan.

"Alex do you want to go with Leonard or Me." Jan said to Alex, Jan was smugly thinking Leonard would be going back to the rooms alone tonight.

Alex looked at both of them, with the same big grin on her face, her mind locked on going to bed with Leonard, "Leonard, I go with Leonard." she said.

Jan nodded, he couldn't believe she picked Leonard over him, but hell there were a lot of girls here and some of them had been looking at him. He got a piece of paper and borrowed a pen from waitress to write down the address of Leonard and Alex's hostel, then handed it to Leonard.

"Give this to the taxi driver and he will get you back. I going to stay here a little while yet, if that is OK. See you Monday morning." Jan said.

"No problem, see you Monday." Leonard said, happy to get out of the club.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

There were several taxicabs outside the club, so Leonard had no trouble leading Alex to one of them. He got Alex seated in the cab and then sat down beside her, the cab driver turned to him and then asked him where he wanted to go, IN FRENCH! Leonard asked in English, if the cab driver understood English and in response was rewarded with another question in French, that he did not understand. Leonard didn't know what to say, the note Jan had given him was in English, would the cab driver be able to read it? Leonard gave the cab driver the note, the cab driver read it, then said something in French, with this arms spread apart showing he did not understand, so much for that idea.

Leonard was sitting thinking maybe they needed to fine another cab when Alex said something in French to the cab driver, who then turned around and drove the cab away from the curb.

Leonard looked at Alex, "What did you say to him?"

Alex had the same big drunk smile on her face, she was still obviously not thinking straight. Alex then moved her face close to Leonard, like she was going to tell him a secret, "Food, I'm hungry." she said.

Leonard sat back in the cab, thinking 'Where the hell are we going.' the only thing escaping from his lips, "Crap!"

Leonard sat and looked out the cab window trying to figure where they were going. They had traveled about as long as they had when they went to the club, and Leonard thought that they were going to a place familiar to him because he recognized some of the buildings and streets. All of the sudden, the cab pulled to the curb, and Leonard immediately recognized where they were, they were in front of the restaurant a block away from the hostel, that he and Alex had eaten before. He could get them back from here, so before something else happened, Leonard got Alex out of the cab, held out some Swiss currency, which the cab driver took some of, then Leonard added at tip and watched the cab drive off.

It was now about midnight and the restaurant was, of course, closed, but that didn't stop Alex from trying the door, then in disappointment sitting on the ground. Leonard went over, told her the restaurant was closed and they needed to go to their rooms, but he didn't think any of it really registered in her brain, she still had that glassy look. Leonard gave up reasoning with her, reached down and got Alex off the ground to lead her back to the hostel, and hopefully the end to this night. As they started walking to the hostel, Alex grabbed one of Leonard's arms, with both her hands and pulled herself close to him, which at first shocked Leonard, but then he thought she doesn't really know what she is doing, and this at least will keep her with him to the hostel.

The walk, to the hostel, took about 20 minutes, due to the slow pace Leonard had to maintain because Alex was hanging off his arm. He really didn't mind the walk, it was a beautiful night, for this time of year, and the fresh air made him feel so alive, he needed that after those hours in the club. Being by himself in the club, had been hard, not because of Alex and Jan dancing, he had been in that situation many times before and he didn't care that much anymore, but because being alone made him think of Penny. This breakup was harder on him than he ever imagined, worse because he was the one who caused it. He always knew loosing Penny was going to hurt more the second time, but now he was really questioning his rationale for getting the hurt over sooner, while he was already feeling bad, than later, when he thought it would hurt much more. Penny had been his only true pure happiness and love, he had ever experienced in his life, so now he was wondering why he decided to end it sooner than it would have ended. He thought that maybe being so hurt, a few weeks ago, might have clouded his judgment, making him pursue the wrong course on action, which deeply concerned him. Leonard became deeply lost in thought and was surprised when he walked up to the doors of the hostel, thinking they had gotten there pretty quickly.

Leonard got Alex inside the hostel, and then lead Alex to their rooms. Leonard helped Alex all the way into her room, she was really drunk but could still walk, with only just a little wobble, however, she wasn't sure where she was going most of the time and she would giggle at almost anything. He had only had three beers, all night, but the fresh air had completely cleared his head, however, Alex was still so loopy she didn't know if she was coming or going, well at least he knew what he was doing. When he finally got her near her bed, she stopped, turned around, leaned upwards and practically put her face nose to nose with him.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Alex told him, again with that big smile and he could smell the strong smell of alcohol on her breath.

'Oh boy.' Leonard thought, he could see this wasn't going to be easy getting her settled down and to bed, she was still half-baked. "Alex just turn around and there is your bathroom." Leonard said, then took her shoulders and turned her around to point her towards the door, 3-feet away.

However, Alex turned back around and smiled at him, again, "You have to help me."

"Alex, you can go to the bathroom yourself. You're a big girl." Leonard told her with a little dread that his words were not going to do any good.

Alex just looked at him, with that silly grin plastered to her face, she stood on her toes and put her face nose to nose with him again. "Please Leonard, Please, I need to go, I need help." She then started moving from foot to foot like a child would do when they had to go to the bathroom.

Leonard, thought this was awkward, what was he going to do, he was trapped, he wasn't able think of a way he could get out of it, he had to take care of her, or he was probably going to end up cleaning pee off the floor. So he turned her back around and walked her into the bathroom, feeling as weird has he had ever felt. Alex kept acting silly, just looking up at him and smiling, acting like she was going to pee her pants and telling him she had to go, over and over. Leonard got her to the toilet, lifted the cover so she could sit, backed her up to it and told her she had to do the rest. However, she just gave him a drunken smile and started to pull down her pants before he got all the words out of his mouth. Leonard was not prepared for that, he turned as fast as he could and practically ran out the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

While Alex was in the bathroom, Leonard walked over sat on her bed and thought to himself how bad Alex was drunk and how she would pay for it in the morning, he was sure. Leonard had never seen a girl so drunk, then he remembered that Penny was that drunk in Las Vegas and would have taken off all her clothes in the elevator, if he didn't stop her. He was sitting on the bed with a little smile on his face, Penny was something else that night, she was unbelievably affectionate that night, at least until she got sick. But even after she got sick, she sort of hung on him the whole time, and he really felt she that she needed him, or wanted him? He had felt really bad about her getting sick, but now that he was thinking about it, she never seemed to be upset with him and even hung onto him even more. Even their last night together, she was still feeling bad, but she cuddled up to him, really close, all night. Again a wave of guilt washed over him, did he do the right thing, kept echoing in his mind.

Leonard's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Alex's toilet flush, and then a little bit later her sink come on. 'Good' he thought, maybe she was sobering up a little and he would be able to get her down to sleep quickly. The only thing that worried him was knowing how drunk she was, he was sure she was going to get sick, Penny always did, and Penny was a more experienced drinker. He thought, if she got sick, it was really going to be a very long night for him, a very long night. The only thing that gave him some comfort was that tomorrow was Sunday and they had no plans, so they could sleep in as long as they wanted, or in Alex's case, as long as she needed.

Leonard finally heard Alex's sink stop, then heard her moving around the bathroom. He hoped she was doing Ok, but as the seconds went by he was getting more worried about her hurting herself.

"Alex, are you doing Ok?" Leonard yelled to her.

"Ok, Leonard, Ok." Alex responded.

Alex's response did nothing to make Leonard feel any better about her being in the bathroom so long. She was still responding, not normally, and she still sounded very, very drunk. He was still thinking that she needed to come out of there, when the bathroom door opened. Alex was standing in the doorway with her robe on, that same grin on her face, but her eyes immediately locked on his, making him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Alex are you feeling OK?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, are you feeling Ok, Leonard?" Alex responded, again smiling.

Alex still was not making sense, and Leonard was still trying to figure out what to do, when Alex took a couple of steps towards him. He was feeling even more uncomfortable, and as Sheldon would say, his 'Spidey Sense' was telling him something was wrong, very wrong. Alex took another step closer to him, then to his utter shock she took off her robe, SHE WAS COMPLETELY NAKED!

Alex looked at Leonard, she wanted him so badly, she wanted his arms around her, in her mental state that was all that was on her mind, except for one other thing. Alex took another step closer to Leonard.

"Leonard, I love you." Alex said softly.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Leonard was looking at her in disbelief, there was Alex, nude in front of him, and 'Oh My God' did she say she loved him! It must be the alcohol, he had earlier, it had dulled his senses, he thought, this is not happening! How could this be happening, he was about to have a panic attack, he started to wonder where his inhaler was.

For Leonard, time seemed to go into slow motion, Alex walked the remaining distance between them, he could see her taking each step and her eyes locked on his. As she got close, her arms wrapped around his neck while their faces got closer and their lips touched. Alex slowly climbed on top him, pushing him back on the bed and her mouth crushing onto his. Her kisses were raw and passionate, her body was pressed against him, and he was temporarily paralyzed in shock.

Alex's mind was working on a more primitive level, the alcohol having dulled her intellect and suppressed her inhibitions. When she got to the club she wanted to be with and dance with Leonard, dancing with Jan had only taken her away from Leonard and every time she saw him alone, at the table, she wanted him more. The need to have him increased with each drink she had taken, and when she was asked about leaving, all she was thinking was being in Leonard's arms, in bed with him. The walk outside, she had held onto him, which made her happy and made her want him more, then in her room, when she went in the bathroom, she hoped he would come in and take her. Finally she decided to give herself to him, she wanted him so badly, she loved him. Now Alex was lost in the moment, she was kissing Leonard, Leonard was hers, all her previous fears were gone. She now had her mouth crushed against his, his lips were so soft and she could not get enough of them. She ran her hands through his hair and she pressed her body to him, rubbing against him, she was loosing control.

However, where Alex was loosing control due to her passion, Leonard was now over the shock and gaining back his control. Leonard was not that kind of guy, so as soon as his mind recovered from the sudden shock, it gave him the logical answers for this situation, she is drunk and you don't take advantage of drunk girls, she is technically your subordinate so sexual relations with her were wrong, and finally there was nothing he was going to do, because he still loved Penny.

Leonard gently pushed Alex away and rolled Alex off to the side of him, then got back into a sitting position to look at her. She laid there with a confused expression on her face, then there was something else, she was going to cry.

'No, Alex, I can't, I just can't", Leonard said gently to her.

"Why?" was all Alex said before the tears came. She looked so fragile, laying on the bed naked, Leonard immediately pulled the sheet over her, then put his hand on the side of her head to make her look into his eyes.

"Alex, don't cry, nothing is wrong, I just can't do this. It's not you, it's me. Your beautiful and I like you a lot, but I can't do this. It's got nothing to do with you." He told her gently.

Alex's crying let up some, but then her expression changed and now she looked sick, she started to look a little green and her eyes started to bug out a little. Leonard got her to the toilet just in time before she began to throw up and he stayed with her, holding her hair for the next two hours. In between fits of Alex throwing up, she sat on the bathroom floor, whimpering, and started to shiver a little, which made Leonard feel really bad, she looked so delicate and vulnerable sitting on the floor naked. Leonard couldn't leave her like that, so he unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, then took this t-shirt off to put on Alex and cover her naked body. After putting his shirt back on, Leonard just sat with her, until she was done dry heaving, at ease that he now had her covered and she was slowly getting a little more back to normal. Also, it helped him get over the feeling, because her being naked so close to him, that made him feel dirty, and again made him felt like he was cheating on Penny.

It was about 3 AM in the morning when Leonard finally could put Alex to bed. She was feeling bad, whimpering off and on, and telling Leonard she felt bad and was sorry. Leonard had got a couple aspirin in her and some water, so now he was just putting the covers on her.

"Leonard, I'm sorry." Alex said to him, again, in a small childlike voice, then she started to cry.

It broke Leonard's heart to see her like this, he really liked her as a friend and he could never stand seeing a girl cry. Her crying over something that involved him, only made things worse. He knew this was his fault, another one of his screw ups and now he had done this to Alex, he felt like such an ass. He knew how it felt to be rejected by someone you loved, it had happened to him many times before, and it really hurt him that he seemed to be doing it to Alex, she didn't deserve it, nobody did.

"Alex it is OK. Everything will be Ok." Leonard sat next to her on the bed and started rubbing her back, "Alex you need to get some sleep." He would talk to her tomorrow and fix things, tonight she wouldn't remember much of anything he said, so he would try and fix it tomorrow.

"Please, don't leave me alone." she was still whimpering.

Leonard took one of the pillows and put it on his lap for her, then pulled her a little closer so she could lay her head on the pillow. He continued to rub her back, to comfort her, and told her over and over that things were OK. Her whimpering turned to little sniffles and then just a few tears remained on her cheeks, she was obviously becoming more peaceful.

Alex closed her eyes and fell asleep a few minutes later. When Leonard was sure she was sound asleep, he gently moved her so that her head was on one of the pillows, got off her bed and started to go to his room. But no sooner than he lifted himself off her bed, Alex started to stir again, so thinking fast, he put a pillow in her arms, which she then started cuddling as she settled back down. Leonard sighed in relief and went to his room to try and get some sleep before morning.

Leonard wearily walked into his room and collapsed in his chair, to think for a moment what had just happened, so he could rest his mind before he tried to sleep. He was now realizing he had made a big error in judgment, he was so upset after he broke up with Penny, he needed a friend so much, he had used Alex. He had went to her, like he had always went to Penny and the problem was Penny and him were more than friends, so Alex probably thought he was being more than a friend, the way he acted. How could he be so stupid to not realize what was happening, now that he thought of it, many of the things she did, over the last few weeks, were like a girlfriend would act with her boyfriend. He just never considered a beautiful young grad student would ever have those feelings about him, he had been blind to it all. He was definitely the cause of all this and he would have to make it right, he would talk to her, tomorrow when she was feeling better. Alex was beautiful, smart, kind and fun to be around and he knew if things were different he could have easily fell in love with her. But things were different, he loved Penny with all his heart and he just couldn't be with anyone else now.

He was now very tired, he thought he would think about things more tomorrow, he just needed to sleep. He got out of the chair and fell into his bed, pulling the pillow to his head while putting his glasses on the nightstand. He was asleep moments later.

Bernadette and Howard went to the Cheesecake Factory for a late dinner, and for Bernadette to see Penny, because she hadn't seen Penny is several days. They were seated at one of Penny's tables and five minutes later the blonde waitress stopped by to say 'Hi' and take their order. After Penny left to put their order in, Bernadette looked at Howard, concern written all over her face.

"Howie, Penny has lost more weight since the last time we saw her. She is starting to concern me again about her mental state. This isn't good." Bernadette said

"Yeah, even I'm noticing she looks thinner, but what can we do? We said we wouldn't interfere again. Even now I am wondering if talking to Leonard tonight is a good idea. What if he really doesn't want to talk to her? What if he and Alex are a couple now?" Howard asked.

"I know, but they need to talk, they need to know things. If he is with Alex, she needs to know and if he is not, she needs to know. She has been just going through the motions of living the last couple of weeks because she doesn't know what to do." Bernadette said to Howard with a pleading look in her eyes.

Howard loved Bernadette so he could not deny her any request, "Ok, but you are going to have to get her to the apartment."

Penny stopped by their table several times to talk for a minute or two, usually asking how everyone is doing and what was happening in the group. Penny always had a little smile when she talked to them, but Bernadette could tell the there was no happiness in that smile, she was still very unhappy. Each time Penny came to the table, Bernadette would try to figure out some deception to get to their apartment after work, and each time she couldn't come up with anything good to tell her.

Bernadette sat there thinking, and finally decided she couldn't lie or trick Penny to come over, she promised her she wouldn't do that anymore and Penny needed to believe that her friends kept their promises, especially now. Penny came by with their dinner a few minutes later, so Bernadette just told her the truth after she put the plates down.

"Penny, please come to our apartment after you get off work." Bernadette asked her.

Penny gave her a funny look, Bernadette's request seemed strange to her. "Why?"

Bernadette thought, 'Here it goes', "Penny, Howard and I are having a Skype session with Leonard tonight, you need to be there." Bernadette looked at Howard, who had a shocked expression on his face.

Penny was stunned, she felt her heart beat faster, "Bernadette, I can't, I can't intrude in his life, he probably doesn't want to talk to me."

"Penny you don't have to talk to him and he doesn't need to know you are there. Just come and sit to the side and then decide if you want to talk to him. If you don't that is fine, we are not going to push you. Just come and listen, please?" Bernadette looked at Penny, a pleading look in her eyes.

"I don't know." Penny's said quietly.

"Penny you don't have to talk to him or see him. Just come and listen." Bernadette tried to reason with her.

"I'll think about it." Penny said, then quickly left their table.

Penny only came by their table a couple more times, and she didn't seem to have time to chat any of those times. She finally came back to give them the bill and when Bernadette looked at her, Penny only said she 'Didn't know', then walked over to help another table. Howard and Bernadette left the Cheesecake factory thinking they be talking to Leonard alone that night.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Penny got off work about a hour after Bernadette and Howard left, and was now sitting in her car, wondering what to do. She felt scared and about as uncertain as she ever had felt in her life, because she really wanted to talk to Leonard, even if it was only over the computer. She wanted to see his face and hear him, but she was terrified he would reject her and she didn't know if she could take that again. She wanted to take the safe way out and run to her apartment and hide, that was what she always did, run and hide, but that scared her now too. She just continued to sit in her car in the Cheesecake Factory parking lot, unable to generate the courage to do anything, because she knew she would do the wrong thing. It wasn't long, in frustration, she put her forehead against the steering wheel and started to cry.

It was a little after 11 PM, Bernadette and Howard sat on their couch, disheartened that Penny decided not to show. In her heart, Bernadette just knew that if Leonard and Penny could talk, things would get better between them or they could move on. They were more than Lovers, they were best friends and they needed each other to get by this crisis in their relationship. Bernadette knew that the reason Penny was so bad off was that she needed to talk to Leonard, he could always made her feel better, and now without she was a mess.

As it now getting close to 11:30 PM, Howard got up and went to his laptop, "Bernadette, I'm going to set up the computer to talk to Leonard now. Have you decided what you want to do?" Howard asked.

Bernadette sat there thinking what a bad plan this had been, when she heard knocking at her apartment door. Bernadette looked at Howard, surprise and a small smile on her face, then practically ran to the door to open it. Penny stood there, her eyes slightly swollen and red, and a look of depression on her face.

"I'm only going to listen. You promise me all I have to do is listen." Penny said looking right into Bernadette's eyes.

Bernadette understood, Penny wanted her to promise, "Penny, I promise all you have to do is listen. If you want to talk to him, it is solely up to you. We will not make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Ok." Penny just walked to Bernadette's couch and sat down, she turned her head down and stared at her hands, obviously upset and nervous.

Bernadette looked at Howard, who was a little stunned by what just happened, and gave him a nod. Howard continued to set up his laptop for the Skype session, while taking quick glances at Bernadette and Penny, not daring to say a word. Bernadette, after a moment, walked over to Penny and sat down beside her.

"Penny would you like a drink while we wait? Maybe some tea?" Bernadette asked Penny.

Penny looked up from her hands to her friend, "Yes, thank you."

Bernadette went to make some tea, while Howard finished up getting his laptop ready. Penny sat continuing to stare down and look at her hands, wondering why she came, she was so scared.

Leonard woke up when his watch's alarm sounded at 7:30 AM, like he had set it. He was still very tired, it had been a long night, so he hoped this Skype session with Howard was going to be short, because he was in serious need of sleep. Since he was still in his clothes, he just got up, went to his desk and turned on his computer, then sat down again watching it boot up while trying not to fall back to sleep. Leonard was ready before 8 AM, so when 8 AM rolled around Leonard and Howard connected.

Howard's face appeared on Leonard's screen, "I see you Ok, do you see me?" Howard first said.

"Yes, I got you fine Howard. What's up?" Leonard responded.

"How you doing. Is your experiment going Ok?" Howard asked

Leonard thought this is a funny start. "Yeah, OK, We are ahead of schedule. We are going to start the first experimental test run tomorrow."

"How is Alex working out with you?" Howard asked.

Penny had been listening to Leonard's voice, lost in thought thinking about him. She recognized when Alex's name was mentioned, but she couldn't get offended, she thought if he was with Alex she just hoped that Leonard was happy. However the thought of him with Alex, made her heart ache, she loved him and she wanted him to be happy, but it hurt.

Leonard was stunned by Howard's question and immediately thought, 'What The Hell', why did he bring that up? Did he know about last night and if the did, how did he find out? Leonard tried to calm himself, Howard couldn't know anything, he couldn't, he was just asking a question, but Leonard needed to change the subject now, so he asked the first question that came to his mind, a question he truly wanted to know the answer.

"How is Penny? Have you seen her? Is she OK?" Leonard asked

Penny came instantly alert when she heard Leonard's voice ask how she was and looked at Howard and Bernadette, confusion on her face. She knew Leonard so well and she could hear sincerity in his voice, he was concerned about her.

Howard was a little bit surprised Leonard had changed the subject, but was happy Leonard had asked about Penny. He looked at Penny and found she was staring at him.

"One minute." Howard said, then turned to look at something out of Leonard's field of view.

For the second time, in the last couple of minutes, Leonard wondered what was going on with Howard. So far this whole Skype session was a big waste of both of their times. He was tired and he was starting to get a headache. Leonard wished Howard would just get the point so he could go back to bed.

Howard left his stool and turned to her, "Penny, Leonard is asking how you are?" was all he said as he pointed to the stool. "Do you want to tell him?"

Penny couldn't think of anything to say to Howard, she wanted to talk to Leonard, and this was her chance, he was asking about her. But she couldn't move, she was so insecure about her and Leonard, and she thought if he saw her or talked to her, things would be worse. All she could do was look at Howard, she had no words to tell him.

Seconds ticked by that felt like minutes, Howard asked Penny in his most gentle voice, "Penny, do you want me to tell him how you are or do you want to tell him. He wants to know how you are, you know him, he really wants to know about your well being. He has always worried about you and tried to protect you, since he first met you, he is worried about you now."

Penny knew that everything Howard said was true, Leonard always tried to take care of her and always worried about her. She had to talk to him, she knew she had to do something now, he was asking about her. Penny went and sat on the stool, looking at the screen and seeing Leonard. She felt instantly faint, but managed to stay sitting.

Leonard was surprised when Penny appeared on his screen, he wasn't tired at all anymore. His throat suddenly went dry, all he could do was look at her. His first thoughts were 'My beautiful angel', but as he looked at her he could tell she had been crying, by her eyes. Something was wrong, so after a few heartbeats, he finally found his voice.

"Penny", was all that would come out of Leonard's mouth at first.

Finally, "Penny, is something wrong?" Leonard asked. Penny was looking at him like a deer caught is his headlights.

"Penny!" Leonard repeated

"Leonard." Penny responded and a tear started to fall down her cheek.

Leonard was now worried, "Penny, what's wrong?"

Penny had all kinds of speeches she was going to say to Leonard, when she got to talk to him, but when she finally saw him, she couldn't think of a single one, so she said the only thing she knew as a fact, "Leonard, I love you." Penny said so quietly, Leonard almost didn't hear her.

All of Leonard's resolve of the last few weeks evaporated upon seeing her face and hearing her words, "Penny, I still love you too." Leonard said

"I love you so much, I miss you so much." Penny said a little louder, more tears falling down her cheeks.

Leonard was about to cry now too. He couldn't stand to see her this way, he wanted to hold her in his arms so badly. Penny looked so miserable, his angel was broken, the way she looked, his heart hurt so much thinking he maybe was the cause of her pain. He thought this must have to do with the last few weeks, he had never expected this, she was suppose to move on and find the man she loved and wanted to marry. 'What is happening?' he thought.

"Penny…." again, Leonard didn't know what to say, none of his reasons to break up, weeks ago, made any sense anymore. "Penny, I'm sorry for what I did to you, a few weeks ago. I should have talked to you, before I did that, or at least after." Leonard confessed.

"Leonard, I love you, I don't want to be broken up with you." Penny stated.

'I don't want to be broken up with you either' Leonard thought, 'I love you more than you will ever understand.' He knew going back to her, he was entering back into a relationship of pure happiness followed by severe heartache, but he couldn't help himself, the bliss of being with her, was worth it to him.

"Do you want to be back together? Are you sure Penny?" Leonard asked.

"Leonard, I….I need you." Penny was now looking at the floor

Leonard's heart felt like it was in his throat, did he hear her right, she needed him. "Penny, you need me?" Leonard asked, he didn't believe she said that.

Penny looked up at the screen, "I need you Leonard, are you coming back to me?" Penny pleaded.

Leonard looked at her face, more tears were falling, her question was more than a question, she was begging him. "If you want me, yes, of course, I'll come back to you, if you really want me."

Penny's heart was racing and she was breathing hard, she brought her hand up and touched the side of the computer screen. She wanted to touch him so badly and have him hold her. "Leonard, please come back to me."

Leonard couldn't believe what was happening, he had never seen Penny like this before, she looked, heartbroken? He was filled with guilt, "Penny, I'm sorry for everything that has happened , I screwed up, please forgive me."

"Leonard, I'm the one who screwed up, please forgive me." Penny responded.

He didn't know what to say, he wanted to say something to her to make her feel better, "Maybe we should forgive each other, Ok" Leonard said.

Penny didn't really pay attention to who's fault it was, she was sorry, because she knew it was her fault. Penny's only concern was if Leonard was coming back to her and things would be like they were before. She had to know.

"Please Leonard, tell me you will come back to me." Penny begged.

Her expression scared him, along with the way she asked him, "Penny, I will come back to you as soon as I am finished here, I promise. We have a lot to talk about."

"You Promise!" Penny asked, she thought, 'Leonard doesn't break his promises'. She wanted him to promise.

Leonard could see the pleading expression on her face again, "Yes, I promise."

"Leonard, I love you." Penny repeated, she visibly relaxed 'He Promised', she thought, then she wished she could be in his arms, right now.

"Penny, I love you and will always love you." Leonard responded, he saw she relaxed.

"Leonard, I have so much to tell you, but I can't, right now and I don't know how to say it, right now." Penny said looking down at her feet.

"That's OK Penny, I can wait. Are you OK?" Leonard asked, something didn't seem right as soon as he saw her and now he was noticing how thin and frail she looked.

Penny looked up again and he could swear she was looking into his eyes, "I think I will be Ok now. Leonard, I never wanted to break up with you, please understand this. I love you, Leonard, please don't think I want to break up with you."

"I'm so sorry Penny, I thought…..never mind, I was wrong. I know now that you don't want to break up with me, I won't forget. Penny are you going to be OK till I get back?" Leonard responded, he was still worried about how she looked.

"I think so." Penny said.

Leonard thought her voice sounded like a little girl and that worried him. "Penny are you sure? If you don't think so, I'll come home now." Nothing seemed important to him anymore except her, he was having trouble seeing her in this state, he just wanted to say, screw it and go back to her.

Penny wanted to say yes, please come home now, but she felt Bernadette's hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Bernadette shaking her head, No. Penny knew Bernadette was right, but she wanted him so bad now, she sat there saying nothing, thinking.

Leonard was worried about her, he saw Bernadette's hand on her shoulder and saw Penny look at her, "Penny do you want me to come home now?"

Penny knew he had to stay and finish, it was important, "No, I have Bernadette and Howard and Amy here if I need them. You finish what you need to do and come back to me, OK?"

"Ok, I promise to come back to you when I finish here. Penny, but if you want me, let me know and I will come home." Leonard said.

"Ok." Penny responded. Penny sat there for a couple of seconds just looking down, then she looked up into his eyes. She suddenly felt she had to explain herself.

"Leonard, six months ago, I was scared again, like before and I didn't know what to do. I did think about breaking up with you, but when I saw you that night, I couldn't, I loved you too much to let you go. I'm sorry, I should have told you and talked to you, but I was scared. Leonard, I love you so much, and I am happy I told you that weeks ago, I wish I wasn't such a fool and would have told you earlier." Penny confessed to him

Leonard sat there thinking about what she said. Amy had told him she wanted to break up with him, but somehow hearing her say it opened up a old wound and made it hurt again a little more. Did it make a difference that she changed her mind, he didn't know, he would have to think about it. They had to talk, alone, he needed to find out more about what she was thinking. He was confused right now.

Penny watched his face, she could tell he was thinking, he was staring at nothing. She had wanted to tell him the truth, she didn't want to keep secrets from him anymore, she didn't want to hurt him anymore. But now she wondered if she made a mistake, had telling him, this right now, made him want to leave her again, she was more and more terrified with every second he said nothing. She couldn't take the silence.

"Leonard, I'm sorry I never said anything to you, please, I'm so sorry." her hands were trembling, 'Please say something,' she thought.

Leonard looked at her, he could see she was starting to get upset, he didn't want to make her any more upset. He thought that everything could wait till he got back and talked to her. He needed to think about things before he talked to her anyway.

"Penny, we can talk when I get back. I promise, I will come back and we can work things out for what is the best for us, OK." Leonard told her.

Penny was afraid to say anything else, she felt that she had almost lost him again. He promised he was coming back to her to talk and work things out, that was more than she had hoped for when they started to talk. She didn't want to say anything more, in fear that she would spoil that.

They really didn't have any more to say, Leonard had to think and Penny was too worried to discuss anything that would cause Leonard to be upset, so they just said their good byes. Howard and Bernadette appeared on the screen, there faces close to Penny and said their good byes, too. As the session ended, Leonard could see Bernadette holding Penny and rubbing her back, so he thought Penny would be Ok with Bernadette watching her.

As soon a Leonard's face on the screen disappeared, Penny felt emotionally drained. She had wanted to ask Leonard about Alex, but decided it might mess up what she and Leonard had now, so she decided not to mention Alex. They really didn't say very much to each other and even had a few moments when they just stared at each other, but that really didn't matter, they were going to get back together and talk, when he returned, and that was all she wanted.

Penny was wore out after all that happened that night, but not as sad, so when Bernadette felt she should stay there the night, she didn't even object. She felt she didn't have the strength to drive to her apartment, and she needed to sleep Penny was very tired, but before Bernadette would let her sleep, she made Penny eat some soup and crackers, which actually tasted good to Penny and made her feel warm inside. Penny was asleep by 1 AM, it wasn't the best sleep she had in several weeks, but at least she didn't cry herself to sleep that night.

Leonard sat in front of his computer, for a few minutes after the Skype session, trying to get his thoughts together. He would have never guessed that what just happened was what Howard was calling about, when he first suggested the Skype session. Howard was right though, it was important, Penny looked stressed out, because of him. He felt really bad he was the cause of her stress, but he still felt the doubts he had, from several weeks ago, about their relationship. The whole problem in their relationship was commitment, Penny could not commit to him, and that was the reason that would always end up splitting them up. Leonard knew Kurt had used and hurt her, when she was younger, and then Mike made it worse, but that was years ago and he never hurt her like that, so why couldn't she commit to him. He feared, no he knew, in the future she would come to a point where she would have to commit with him again and they would break up again and it would hurt worse than this time, because he loved her and the more he was with her the more he loved her. He didn't know what to do because he knew he wanted to go back to her, he knew he was pathetic. He was also tired and needed to sleep.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Leonard was about to lay down again when he thought of Alex and everything that happen last night. He still felt bad that it had happened and he wanted to make Alex not feel so bad, so she wouldn't feel completely rejected like he had so many times before. He remembered he told her he would stay with her so he picked a blanket off his bed and went to her room to check on her. Thankfully she was still soundly asleep, so Leonard sat in the stuffed chair across from her bed, with the blanket on him and went to sleep, hoping if she woke up, seeing him would let her know he had not abandoned her.

Noon came quickly and Leonard opened his eyes, his back was a little stiff, but he had slept pretty well. He picked his glasses up from the desk, so he could see Alex and no sooner that he got he vision back, he saw her laying in bed staring at him. He felt uncomfortable, her eyes didn't move, they seemed to be staring into him. They both didn't move, just stared at each other, each second seemed to drag on forever, until Leonard finally got up the courage to talk to her.

"Alex, are you Ok?" Leonard asked quietly. But Alex didn't say anything and he could see her eyes getting moist. 'Oh No' Leonard thought, she looked close to crying again, he had to do something. He stood up and walked to her bed, sitting on the edge and slowly, cautiously, put his hand on her back to rub it. He hoped he was doing the right thing.

Leonard moved his face closer to hers and very quietly asked, "Alex, are you alright? Please talk to me."

"I'm sorry Leonard." Alex said so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

He was loosing her, she was about to start crying, Leonard had to do something, so he put his hand alongside her head and gently turned it so she was looking at him.

"Sorry for what? Making me feel loved, showing me someone cared for me, being there when I needed someone, being beautiful, charming and nice, being my friend, which are you sorry for Alex? Because I'm not sorry about any of them." Leonard looked into her eyes.

"I'm…", Alex didn't know what to say. She looked at Leonard, his eyes were full of love and caring, he cared for her, his hand was against her head and it felt so…good. She blinked away the tears, she didn't feel like crying anymore, she was still sad but not as sad as a few minutes before.

Leonard could see what he had said had made some impact on her, she didn't look like she was going to cry now. "Alex, I am sorry if I led you on. I really needed someone to confide in and, I guess I am attracted to you because I found it easy to talk to you. But Alex, I'm not over Penny, I can't be that guy who can be with you unless, I know I can commit to you, and when I go back, me and Penny are going to get together and talk about our relationship. Do you see, I care about you too much to start something with you while we are here, because I know when I go back, I'll be with Penny. If we got involved, I would be me taking advantage of you and deceiving you, I can't do that to you. Right now my heart belongs to Penny, and I can't even think of a relationship with anyone else until that changes. I care about you Alex, but I am not available, that is just the way I am, I can't be any other way." Leonard watched her to see if he hurt her or helped her. She was still looking at him and she was not crying, that was good, so he decided to go on. "Alex, could we still be friends, I don't want to loose you as a friend, your sort of someone important in my life now, you know." Leonard gave her a little compassionate smile.

Alex looked into his eyes and saw he cared for her, not like a girlfriend, but more than just a friend. She remembered almost everything about last night and was so ashamed, but he made it seem not so bad, she didn't feel so stupid anymore, she thought it might be OK. So "Ok." she said to him.

'Good' he thought, maybe she was going to be OK. "How are you feeling? We have aspirin and you should drink some water, are you up for that?" Leonard asked.

Alex started to sit up, obviously hurting a little from her handover, she kept the sheets covering herself as best she could, to Leonard's relief. Leonard handed her two aspirins and a bottle of water, which she drank about third before she gave it back to him. She didn't look like she was going to cry again, she just looked hung over.

"Do you want to sleep some more or get up?" Leonard asked her, some concern still in his voice.

Alex looked at the clock, then turned to him, "I think I want to get up and sit a while."

"Ok, you can take care of yourself, right? I'll go next door and if need me or just want to talk just let me know, OK." Leonard told her.

"Ok, I think I'll be fine." Alex answered.

Alex watched him leave and pull her door closed, to give her privacy. She let the sheets fall down and looked at T-shirt covering her, it smelled like him. She remembered every detail of her getting sick in the bathroom, sitting on the floor so ashamed, and suddenly she had felt so cold. He had taken his shirt off almost immediately to cover her and then she didn't feel so cold anymore. He had held her till she fell asleep and had stayed with her, he really did care about her, she knew it, but she also knew she couldn't be his girlfriend. She thought about if for a few minutes and came to a conclusion that was really pretty easy, she didn't want Leonard out of her life, he was special, she wanted to say friends with him, but it still hurt. Her headache had gone down a little, so she got up to get a shower, taking off Leonard's T-shirt and putting it in her drawer, he was not getting it back, she thought.

Leonard got in the shower after he heard Alex's shower start, 'Good' he thought. He also needed to wake up, and he needed to make sure Alex got over last night. He planned on staying the whole day with her so she didn't have time to think about being hurt or unwanted. He was hoping he could make her understand that it was just the wrong guy at the wrong time, so she would know it had nothing to do with her and she wasn't being really rejected. He had thought back to the times this had happened to him and he thought if the person of his affections had shown him they really cared and didn't really want to hurt him, it wouldn't have been so bad, so he was going to do that with Alex. If he and Penny could stay friends after their breakup why can't Alex and him.

Alex got out of the shower, feeling a little better, put on some sweats, and started to dry her hair. She was starting to think back to last night and was feeling ashamed again and alone. The knocking at the door made her jump, but Leonard's voice calmed her back down again.

"Alex, is it Ok to come in." Leonard asked

"Yes, sure." Alex responded

Leonard walked in and headed to her, he wasn't sure how much space she needed now, but he also didn't want her to be scared of him either. He decided to threat her as a good friend would, unless her body motions told him differently, so Leonard sat down across from her bed again.

"How you feeling?" Leonard asked quietly.

"The headache is down to a dull throbbing, thanks for the aspirin." She answered.

"You hungry at all?" he asked.

"A little, but not much. Maybe in a little while. I'm just thirsty right now." she responded.

Leonard got up and got her a bottle of water, handing it to her as he sat down in the chair again.

"Leonard, how can you be so nice to me?" Alex's voice cracked a little, like she was about to cry.

"I would like to think nothing has really changed between us, if you can agree. I can forget last night happened, except for the part about you caring for me, I don't think I could ever forget someone caring for me. Could we go back to how we were before last night?" Leonard asked her.

"I think so." she still sounded a little unsure.

Leonard needed her to be Ok, because he didn't want her to suffer from the damage of last night, and he hated to think it, but he also needed her to do her job she came there for. He planned to help her for both reasons, and try to get her confidence back. Leonard stayed most of the whole day with Alex in her room, talking, watching TV and eating. He didn't go back to his room till after 9 PM, after Alex went back to bed. Just before she went to bed, Leonard and Alex watched a German comedy show, that Alex could only translate a few of the words being said, but they both laughed like silly school kids. After that show Leonard thought that Alex might end up being Ok after all.

Bernadette and Howard slept in finally getting up at about 9 AM and Penny followed 15 minutes later, without Bernadette having to wake her up, which Bernadette thought was a good thing. Bernadette made coffee and toasted a few bagels for all of them, which they ate in relative quiet. Howard knew Bernadette wanted to spend the day with Penny, so he got ready and made excuses to go see Sheldon to leave them alone.

"How did you sleep, Penny." Bernadette asked after Howard left.

Penny knew Bernadette wanted to know what was going through her mind and was trying to tiptoe around it. "I'm still a little scared. I know he will come back to me and talk, he promised. But I don't know what will happen when we will talk."

Bernadette was surprised and happy that Penny was opening up. "You can't think like that Penny. He is coming back to you, I heard him. Don't worry."

"You really think so?" Penny sounded a little more hopeful.

"Penny, its Leonard, he loves you, he is not going to play games with you. You know him." Bernadette said to try and reassure her.

Penny looked at her hands and started to fidget, "No your right, Leonard isn't the one to play games, that is reserved for me. I'm the one that plays games, cruel games on poor Leonard." Penny then got real quiet.

Bernadette was stunned by what she said and was desperately trying to find something to say to comfort her, but she was telling the truth, she had played games with their relationship.

"Penny, the past is the past, if you feel that you need to change the way you act with Leonard, then change, don't worry about what happened before, concern yourself with what is going to happen in the future." Bernadette finally told her.

Penny nodded, "You're right, I can do better, I will do better. But I can't help but worry that maybe things will never be the same, that I messed them up beyond repair."

"All you can do is try, right." Bernadette told her and Penny just nodded again.

Penny and Bernadette sat and continued to talk for the next hour, then they called Amy because they decided this was going to be girls day, and of course Amy was a girl, plus their good friend, so girls day was not complete without her.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Amy arrived about 1 PM and seemed to Bernadette to be a little nervous and excited at the same time.

"How is everyone doing?" Amy asked with some caution

Bernadette could tell Amy was trying not to open any wounds for Penny, so was picking her words carefully. Sweet Amy, she needed to be put at ease.

"Penny talked to Leonard last night on Skype, didn't you Penny." Bernadette blurted out.

"Yeah, we talked last night and we are going to get together to talk when he gets back, so…so far so good." Penny said with a little apprehension in her voice.

Amy sighed in relief, "That is great. I am really happy for you guys."

Bernadette knew Amy wanted to say something so, "Ok Amy what is up with you, you look like you are going to bust."

Penny snickered, which Bernadette thought was a good sign and Amy thought was approval for her to tell her news.

Amy got this big grin on her face. "Sheldon and I made out yesterday and he got to second base!"

"What, Sheldon made out with you!" Bernadette said in disbelief

"Did he know he was making out!" Penny exclaimed.

Amy was now giggling a little and trying to talk, "Yes and Yes. Ever since he took care of me, when I was sick, then spanked me for being bad…"

"WHAT!" Penny had been taking a drink water but now had spit it out in shock.

"SHELDON SPANKEDYOU!" Bernadette said in shock.

"FOR BEING BAD!" Penny added

Amy was now giggling pretty bad and couldn't talk, especially after seeing the shock and horrified expressions on her two best friends. After a minute or two, with Bernadette and Penny just staring at her with their mouths open, Amy was able to gain her composure.

"Yes and Yes, again. Well after all that, I come over yesterday to see Sheldon, and he tells me that I have to sign an amended relationship agreement. So when I read it I see there is a new section on kissing, which was quite liberal, to my surprise. So after I sign it, I asked when it took effect and he tells me immediately, so I propose we test the new provisions, and to my surprise he accepts." Amy was talking a mile a minute so she stopped to take a breathe.

"He has a section on kissing? Oh Amy you lucky girl" Penny said

"Tell us what happened?" Bernadette pleaded

"So the first kiss was awkward, but the second time it got better and by the third or fourth it became sort of natural. So we kissed for a little while…" Amy was saying

"YOU KISSED FOR A LITTLE WHILE!" Penny said in shock

"Let her finish" Bernadette said, "Go on Amy."

"Well we were kissing for a little while and Sheldon at first puts his hands on my waist, but then a few moments later his hand starts to rub one of my breasts." Amy says

"HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!" Penny says, her eyes about to bug out of their sockets.

"Go on Amy." Bernadette responds

"Well I was really into the kissing, so touching my breast, well….lets just say I got caught up in the moment and I guess I moaned. Well I guess Sheldon had got caught up in the moment too and really didn't realize what he was doing, so as soon as he heard me, he jumped back and started to apologize." She said.

"OH MY GOD, Sheldon? Our Sheldon?" Penny said

"What did you do?" Bernadette asked

"Well I told him he had nothing to apologize for or to be sorry about and I asked him if the new kissing section was staying in. And to my surprise, he said yes!" Amy was excited again.

"Wasn't he afraid of germs, did he clean up afterward?" Penny asked

Amy got serious, "Well it is Sheldon, so after he used mouthwash and hand cleaner. But it was worth it and he agreed we can do it again." Amy was excited again

Penny and Bernadette congratulated Amy and they all squealed and giggled as they hugged each other. Bernadette was especially happy because Penny was acting like herself again, she thought 'Thank you Amy.'

The girls decided to celebrate and go shopping, so Bernadette and Penny quickly got ready. When Penny was in the shower, Bernadette decided to take a couple of moments with Amy.

"Thanks Amy, that story really helped." Bernadette quietly told her

"How is she doing?" Amy asked

"She is better. But this whole thing has been hard on her. I have never seen her act like this, she has lost weight, she drags herself around like there is no life in her, she cried a lot, sleeps or tries to sleep, and is just sad all the time. A couple of minutes ago, is the most positive emotion I have seen out of her since we came back from Las Vegas." Bernadette told her

"Poor Bestie, Leonard really broke her heart." Amy stated

"Something has happened with her about how she feels about Leonard, I just know it. She is really hung up on him, you should have seen her on the Skype session, I thought she was going to beg him to come back right now. She has changed Amy."

"Sheldon said he is going to be there another 3 weeks. Do you think she can hold out?" Amy asked

"Howard said he is ahead of schedule, but I don't know if that means he'll be coming home sooner. I hope he does, she needs to straighten this whole thing out with him."

"Well we can at least have a fun day today and maybe take her mind off of things." Amy said with a smile

Bernadette nodded, then heard the shower stop, so she hurried back to getting ready. The girls were out the door by 3 PM heading to the mall, for some serious shopping only for frozen coffees along the way.

"We are so taking you Victoria Secrets, so you can surprise Sheldon later." Penny said with a mischievous smile on her face, as they all drove to the mall.

"Well if we are going to do that shopping, I know a little place that has a more varied selection, at half the price." Bernadette told Penny and Amy.

They pulled into the parking lot of a store call 'Intimates' and the girls gave each other naughty smiles as the walked in the door. Penny was amazed at the selection and since the store was not at the mall, the prices were a lot better too. Amy, seeing all the sexy clothes, sleep ware and underwear, just giggled thinking about how Sheldon would react. Bernadette just smiled at her two friends expressions.

The girls went their own ways wandering through the store, however, Bernadette kept glancing at Penny, she was still worried about her. She was looking to see what Penny was doing, when she noticed her stopped staring at something, so Bernadette strolled over to her. Penny, had stopped when she saw a clearance rack full of panties and bras, colored and decorated to represent super heroes. There was, Super girl, Batgirl, Wonder women and others, but seeing them made her think about Leonard again, and that had made her scared again. Bernadette walked up to Penny and saw what she was looking at, knowing she must be thinking of Leonard, so she decided to make those thoughts happy thoughts.

"Oh Penny, the guys will love those and they are on sale." Bernadette exclaimed

Penny was a little caught by surprise, but Bernadette's excited tone made her a little excited. "Right, aren't they great and the panties are real hip hugger panties that you could wear every day." Penny said smiling.

Bernadette, grabbed a Batgirl bra and panties, looking at Penny with a smile and using her lowest voice, "I'm Batman." she said, making both of the girls break out laughing and bringing Amy over to see what was so funny.

When Amy joined her friends and saw what Bernadette had, she couldn't help but smile, "Those are adorable." she said while going over and grabbing a Super Girl set.

Penny laughed, while she grabbed a Wonder women set, feeling a little bit of pain in her heart, when she thought about the last time she wore the costume and how it hurt Leonard to see her kiss Zack. But she finally smiled at the thought that these were for Leonard and Leonard alone.

Bernadette was looking at the bra when, "Oh these are push up bras, if I get pushed up anymore I will spill out." she said, deep in thought, then she smiled, "What am I saying, Howard will love it even more if I spill out."

"Ew!" both Penny and Amy said, then they all broke out in laughter.

The girls went crazy on the clearance rack with each of them buying two sets of matching bra's and panties, then a weeks worth of panties. Bernadette got Batgirl, and X-men plus assorted panties for the week. Amy got Super girl and the Flash plus also a weeks worth of panties. Penny got wonder women and the green lantern and two weeks of assorted panties, which she told her friends was because she really needed some more regular panties instead of thongs, but Bernadette knew was a little over compensation because of her current feelings toward Leonard. Penny seemed to be trying to grasp at anything she thought would please him, which is a good thing, Bernadette thought.

The girls left the store with their bags full and got in the car to continue their girls day out. Bernadette had trouble driving the car, when Penny got her friends talking about their boyfriends/husband and their super powers, especially when she started kidding about their super powers in bed, they were all laughing so hard. Bernadette almost completely lost it when Penny explained how the purchases in their bags were going to give them the same super powers as Dr Xavier of X-men because they would be able to now control their boyfriend's/husband's mind and bodies. The rest of the day turned out to be a huge success in getting Penny back to some normalcy, Bernadette thought.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Later that evening found Amy, Bernadette and Penny having a late meal at the Olive Garden. It was 7 PM and the girls were passing the salad bowl around, when Bernadette remembered she wanted to ask Penny what was so important that she had them all get together last Monday. In the shock of what happened that day, Penny had never told them what was so important that she was so excited about.

"Penny, last Monday, you were going to tell us something exciting. What was it." Bernadette asked

"Yes Bestie, you got us all together for something big, what was it." Amy added.

Penny pushed her salad around in her bowl, thinking. The whole acting job didn't seem as exciting to her anymore, after learning about Leonard and his trip to Europe with Alex. Acting was her dream, but now she knew Leonard was more important to her, so she hadn't really thought about it since last Monday and to be honest she really didn't care that much about it right now.

Bernadette and Amy looked at each other, then back at Penny. Penny hadn't said anything, since they asked their question about her news and Bernadette was starting to wonder if asking her had been such a good idea. Penny just sat their staring at her salad lost in thought and Bernadette worried that maybe that news had something to do with Leonard and they had opened a new wound in her heart.

Penny looked up at her friends, "I got an acting job, that starts a week from Monday, as a matter of fact, I have to go to a meeting tomorrow on the details of the job tomorrow."

Amy and Bernadette were in shock, then excited, both knowing how much this had to mean to Penny.

"Penny that is great! What kind of acting job is it? How long is it for?" Amy quickly asked.

"It's a TV show and we are doing a pilot for it. It will take a week to film, then we will have to see if it gets picked up by the network, but if it does, then I signed up to do 24 episodes." Penny told them.

"Penny that's fantastic! You must have a speaking role then. What part are you playing and what is the show about?" Bernadette asked.

"It is going to be a kids science show on Saturday morning, where a female scientist goes over science and experiments with the kids each week, it's no big deal really." Penny said.

"Really a weekly kids show, that is so cute. What is your part, are you her assistant or something like that?" Amy said

"Now I'm the female scientist." Penny said

Amy and Bernadette just looked at her in shock, their mouths hug open is disbelief. Penny didn't see their expressions because she had looked down at her salad again, slowing moving it around, thinking about Leonard again. However, she did look up when Amy almost screamed in excitement.

"Oh My God, Penny! You're going to be a TV star! My Bestie is going to be a TV star. I'm friend with at TV star." Amy exclaimed

"Oh Penny, this is amazing. This is the break you been hoping for. Tell us everything." Bernadette said

"It's not really a big deal. It is just a pilot, it might not even be picked up by the network." Penny said

"No, you can't think like that. Penny you are going to be a star and we are going to be part of your entourage." Amy told Penny

"Penny, this is a real big deal. Tell us about it." Bernadette insisted

Penny looked at her friends and saw their happiness for her, it sort of warmed her heart. Amy was actually practically bouncing in her seat she was so excited, which was a little infectious. Suddenly Penny wanted to tell her friends everything.

Penney started her story, "Well the first part is a little weird. I hadn't even heard about auditions for the part, but one day I get a phone call from the production company asking me to set up an appointment to audition for the part, which of course, I say yes to."

"Do they usually call you in to make appointments for auditions? I thought you just showed up when everyone else did, who was trying to get the job?" Bernadette asked.

"That is what is weird. If I was someone like Sandra Bullock or Jennifer Aniston, yeah they would make an appointment, but not for nobodies like me." Penny answered

"Maybe they saw your commercial and thought you were perfect for the part. Or your play." Amy said

"Yeah, that is the only thing I could come up with also, Amy. Anyway I was a little suspicious at first so I checked out the production company, on Google, to make sure this was legit and they didn't make Porn, you know. Well they were legit and sort of well established in the TV show production business, so I went to the appointment. I was the only one there, to audition, and they were really interested in me, which again had never happened before to me. So at first they asked me some questions, then they gave me a list of words to read, which were all scientific words you guys and the boys always use. Well, I read down the list, which made them really happy, so they asked me to come back in the afternoon for a script reading. The director was really helpful, during the screening, and the next thing I know, I got the part. I didn't even know what the part was till I got it, I knew it was for some scientific character, but I had no idea it was for the lead." Recounting the story to her friends, had gotten Penny all excited about it again.

"Wow, Penny that is amazing." Bernadette said

"I always knew you would be a star." Amy added

"Anyway, like I said, I have a meeting tomorrow to work the business end of the job and to get all the details for Monday's start of filming." Penny added

"That is great Penny, how is the pay?" Bernadette asked

"Well the pilot is good, a little more than I make at the Cheesecake factory in a month." Penny said.

"How about if you get the 24 episodes." Amy asked

Penny could multiply and divide pretty well, from being a waitress for so long. Penny took a pen out of her purse and started multiplying on a napkin, then stopped, looking up at her friends in surprise.

"24 episodes would be more than I make at the Cheesecake factory in five years! I wouldn't have to be a waitress anymore. I never thought about that, I could support myself on my acting." Penny sat back in her chair, a smile forming on her face as that sank in. Penny had never really thought that far ahead, once her relationship problem with Leonard had manifested itself. Leonard had become, no was, more important than her acting.

"You would be a professional actress, not a waitress anymore. That was sort of your dream, wasn't it." Bernadette smiled at Penny

"Like I said, I am Bestie with a TV star. Oh, if only 16-year old Amy knew how good life was going to get." Amy squealed

All three of the girlfriends started to laugh, with great enthusiasm, which make some of the people at the Olive Garden turn to watch. Penny was feeling happy, but in the back of him mind she hoped that when Leonard came back, the happiness would continue. She knew she would not be happy, if she couldn't share her happiness with Leonard.

Penny rode in the backseat as Bernadette drove back to her apartment with her and Amy. It was 9 PM, dark and the girls were a little tired. Penny was going to get some clothes and stay at Bernadette's for a few days, at Bernadette's insistence, which to tell the truth, was really something Penny was a little happy about. The girls were quiet and they had a 15-minute drive, so Penny was thinking. The last few weeks she had been really lonely, more lonely then she had ever been in her life. Her friends had helped her, especially Bernadette, but she really missed Leonard, really bad, more than she had ever realized before. She had know she loved him, and had told him, over a month ago, but now things were different, she felt different about him. Seeing Leonard on the computer, she knew she needed him, her happiness was dependent on him, and she didn't know how she could go through the rest of her life without him. It scared her, not that she wanted or needed him so bad, but because there was a chance she could loose him and what would she do if that happened. She had told him once, when they were broken up, that he would come running back to her if she gave him the okay, but she knew now that she would come back to him on hands and knees if that was what it took. No man had ever made Penny feel the way he did, and she wanted that feeling back.

Leonard practically leaped out of bed at 5 AM Monday morning. This was a big day, his first actual experimental tests would be run and the first results gathered. He was so nervous, it had taken him several years setting up this experiment and even though they were getting to do the experiment early, there was a lot at stake riding on if it was successful or not. Leonard turned on his laptop, so it could boot up, then got into the shower to quickly get ready.

Alex heard Leonard's shower, she was already waking up when the sound brought her fully awake. She felt pretty good, actually very hungry, she hadn't ate too much yesterday because she nursed her hangover, but now it was gone and she woke up hungry. Yesterday had not been too bad, she still felt a little bit of embarrassment, but spending the day with Leonard got rid of a lot of the awkwardness, so she thought that this week would be fine, them working together. Alex relaxed for a few more minutes, till she heard Leonard's shower go off, then got up to start her new day.

Alex and Leonard had a pleasant breakfast, talking about the plans for the day. It wasn't uncomfortable, like Alex thought it would be, Leonard made her feel relaxed, he acted like nothing happened and acted like one of her best friends, which she thought, he is. After breakfast, Dr Glauser picked them up for the trip to the Supercollider, because now he would be their main contact for the experiment.

Leonard sighed as he stood in front of the building, he would spend the next week in, doing his experiment, thinking 'Here we go.' Alex and Leonard, led by Dr Glauser, went inside and met with the team that would work with them in the experiment. Leonard spent the next hour briefing the team on the equipment, data collection devices and overall experiment procedures. After all the briefings, the moment truth, they all went down to the Supercollider control center to begin Leonard's experiment. Leonard could never remember being as nervous as he was, anytime else in his life.

Penny was up at 7 AM to have coffee and sweet buns with Bernadette and Howard, before they went work. Penny's meeting today with the production company was at 9 AM and she thought she better not be late. Bernadette wished her luck and gave her a hug as she left for work, when she was gone, Penny went to get ready for her meeting.

Leonard's and Alex's day had been long, gathering data from the laser firings. They had been processing raw data on the CERN computers for over three hours, and it was becoming apparent that none of the data was what they were looking for, the day had yielded none of the results they been expecting. Leonard knew they had only tested some of the light frequencies he needed to test, but he thought that he would get something positive by the end of the first day, at least a little positive. It was now 8 PM and Leonard just wanted to get back to his room to rerun some simulations before he went to bed. Alex, felt sorry for him, she could see his disappointment, and she wished there was something she could do, but she could tell he had retreated into himself, trying to figure what to do next and she didn't think he would let her in.

A hour later Alex had brought a couple of sandwiches to their rooms, and put one of them and a bottle of water next to Leonard as he worked on his computer. She was rewarded with Leonard looking up at her, giving her one of his warm smiles and a nod of thanks. Alex sat on the edge of Leonard's bed eating her sandwich, watched him work, while taking bites of sandwich, amazed at the intensity and determination on his face. She still was in awe of him, she still had feelings for him, so she decided she would take on another job while she was there, she would take care of him. Alex still believed that Leonard's experiment was going to work, but she would be there for him, as his friend, if it didn't. Alex went to bed at 10 PM and Leonard at midnight, tomorrow was going to be another long day.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Penny stood in front of the mirror, in Bernadette's guest room, in only her bra and panties, looking at herself. Nancy Wood was right, she had lost weight, Penny could see it now. She was surprised, at lunch, when Nancy had told her she needed to stop dieting, because she was getting too thin and that she even needed to gain back a few pounds, but now she could see it. She felt stupid, she should have realized it when her Cheesecake Factory uniforms started to hang on her instead of being a little tight. Nancy even gave her a calorie chart for her to control her weight, she was seriously trying to help her. The rest of the day had been a whirlwind of information, luckily they had also given her paper copies of everything they had told her, otherwise she would have not remembered half of it. So everything was set, she had a script to study, weight to gain, some paperwork to study and needed to be on the set at 7 AM next Monday morning. Penny thought, next Monday she would be a TV actress but for the rest of the week she was still a Cheesecake Factory waitress.

Bernadette came home to see Penny sitting on the couch reading a binder of papers, deep in concentration, until she saw Bernadette and gave her a smile.

"How did things go, today?" Bernadette asked her as she took a seat on the couch next to Penny.

"Really pretty good, but they sure gave me a lot of information. I was reading it when you came in." Penny responded, then as an after thought. "Where is Howard?"

"He went with Sheldon and Raj to the comic book store, there is suppose to be a new Flash release today and they all had to get a copy." Bernadette said as she rolled her eyes.

"Well in that case, do you want to go out and get something to eat, my treat. We can call Amy and see if she want to join us, too. It seems I need to gain some weight before next Monday." Penny gave Bernadette a little head tilt and a smile.

"Ok, just let me get changed." Bernadette said happily.

Two hours later, Penny, Bernadette and Amy, were sitting at their table eating their dinner, at the Outback steakhouse. Penny was half way through a 12 oz steak and a baked potato, trying to take in the calories her chart had down for today. Bernadette and Amy were impressed how Penny could pack it away, when she had too, she had already ate a major part of the blooming onion they had ordered.

"Little bit hungry?" Amy asked Penny, who was in the middle of a mouthful

"She has to gain weight for her acting job." Bernadette told Amy, while Penny nodded.

"I'm a little bit hungry, too. I only had a salad for lunch." Penny added.

"Oh Penny, I just know you are going to be a star. When those TV guys see your golden hair and flawless complexion, they are going make your show a series, I just know it." Amy said with too much excitement.

Penny smiled, "Amy, with you on my team, how could I not be a success. Let's hope the TV guys feel the same way as you do when the time comes up."

"To Penny's success." Bernadette toasted and all three girls clinked their ice tea cups together.

They had just put down their glasses down, when Bernadette felt someone standing next to her, at the same time seeing Penny looking up at someone with a funny expression on her face.

"Hi Penny, how have you been doing?" Kurt said.

Bernadette had seen Kurt before, at he Cheesecake Factory when he had stopped by to talk to Penny, when Bernadette worked there. Amy had never seen Kurt before, but upon seeing this man, she knew she didn't like him, he had a cruel look about him.

"I am doing fine, Kurt." Penny answered, she didn't care how Kurt felt so she didn't ask.

"So haven't seen you in a while, I was thinking about contacting you, and here you are. We need to get together." Kurt said. Kurt wasn't with anyone tonight, so stumbling across Penny was fortunate, she was always a good one night stand. Hell she could bring her friends if she wanted, he had no problem with a foursome.

"Kurt I have a boyfriend, so you are looking at the wrong girl." Penny curtly said

Kurt thought for a moment, then thought 'Is she, No…' and got a smile on his face. "Not that little nerd Lenny? You've got to be kidding me, Penny you are hot, you need a real man. Hell the last time I saw him, he was telling me I had to give you back that money, your bailed me out with. You must have seen the IOU I wrote on his forehead and had a good laugh. We went out right after, remember." Kurt thought Penny would laugh at that event, but instead Penny had the strangest expression on her face.

In a voice Bernadette and Amy never heard from Penny before, low and menacing, Penny spoke while she looked at Kurt directly in the eyes, "Kurt, get the fuck out of here. I don't ever want to see you again."

Amy and Bernadette looked at Penny, then Kurt, then each other, in total shock. 'What the hell is happening' they thought, this is a scene, Penny is going ballistic, and 'What should we do?' Kurt also looked at Penny a little stunned, temporarily at a lost for words.

Penny watched Kurt with pure hatred in her eyes, right now she loathed him more than any man she had ever known, "Do you understand English you Neanderthal! I said get the fuck out of here! And if I ever find out you touched Leonard again, I will hurt you, I promise!"

Kurt thought 'I don't need this shit', "Fine, you've always been a little whore, the only thing you have ever been good for was fucking anyway. You and your nerdy boyfriend go to hell." he turned and left.

Several people, from other tables, looked at them, obviously not happy about the language that was used. Penny looked at her friends, her anger now gone, she was feeling sick and wanted to leave. The waitress quickly came by with the check, the manager obviously wanted them out of the restaurant and Penny handed over her charge card, then got up to follow her to the register. The nervous waitress quickly ran the bill, with Penny standing there, and Penny quickly put on the tip and signed it, then practically ran outside.

Amy and Bernadette where still in shock, everything had happened so fast, and they quickly got out of the booth to follow Penny out the door. What they found outside, broke their hearts, Penny was at the side of the building on her knees throwing up and sobbing. They ran to her, kneeling, and putting their arms around their troubled friend.

"Penny, are you going to be OK. Honey, we're her for you, tell us what's wrong." Bernadette told her

"Penny can we help." Amy added, but Penny could only cry.

After a short while Amy and Bernadette got Penny standing up and over to the car, where she just collapsed in the back seat, still crying. Bernadette got in the drivers seat and Amy sat in the back holding Penny while they all drove back to Bernadette's. The three of them walked awkwardly into Bernadette's apartment, Penny still whimpering and Bernadette and Amy trying to hold her. They all ended up on Bernadette's couch Penny in the middle, between Amy and Bernadette, with them rubbing her back and trying to calm her down. After about 20 minutes, Penny was finally calmed down enough to talk to.

"Penny, I had no idea seeing Kurt would upset you so much." Bernadette said.

Penny was still whimpering a little, "Not Kurt. 'Sniff'. He hurt Leonard." she barely got out.

"Penny you knew what had happened with Leonard getting your money back, didn't you?" Bernadette looked at Penny confused. Amy listening to this exchange and was really confused.

Penny looked into Bernadette's eyes and quietly asked. "Did you know?"

Bernadette felt uncomfortable. "Not at the time, when you and Leonard were broken up, Howard once told me about the things Leonard did for you and that is when he told me."

Penny kept looking at Bernadette, "Please tell me."

"Yes Please." Amy added

Bernadette swallowed then started, "According to Howard, you had money problems one time and had to borrow money from Sheldon. Leonard knew you were really stressed and wanted to help you, you know because he cared for you, so when he found out Kurt owed you a lot of money he went over to see him. Kurt was an ass, like he is normally towards Leonard, so he wrote on Leonard's forehead, an IOU for the money, in permanent marker. It took a couple of weeks to come off, didn't you see it?"

Penny was breathing hard and tears were rolling down her cheek again, softly she said, "No, he wore a hat for a couple weeks and I thought he was just being nerdy. Kurt lied to me, he told me he gave me back the money out of the goodness of his heart and I went out with the bastard, and told Leonard I thought Kurt had changed for the good. I also made a little fun of Leonard wearing the hat. Poor caring, beautiful Leonard. OH GOD, what did I do." Penny then lost it and started crying again.

Amy tried to help, "Penny you didn't know. Kurt lied to you. You can't beat yourself up over this." But it did no good, Penny was already sobbing.

It took Bernadette and Amy another half hour to get Penny calmed down enough to go to bed. Penny told both Amy and Bernadette how much she loved Leonard between sobs and how she wanted him with her. Bernadette was concerned about Penny and happy she didn't have a way to call Leonard, because she knew Penny would have asked him to come home and Bernadette knew, if Leonard had heard her, he would have.

"I really feel sorry for her. She is so upset. I have never seen her like this." Amy said sadly

"Amy, she was getting better after she talked to Leonard, but Kurt and what he did, she's too fragile still to absorb that kind of information. I really thought she knew." Bernadette said to Amy with guilt.

"Are you going to be Ok with her?" Amy asked her friend

"Yeah, I always stay up till Howard comes home, so I'll stay up and watch her a little bit. You can go home now, and thanks." Bernadette told her.

"Ok, please call me if you need anything." Amy told her

"OK, thanks. Drive carefully and I'll see you later." Bernadette answered

Amy picked up her purse to leave and Bernadette followed to let her out. Before she closed the door, Bernadette gave Amy a hug and a smile, and again said 'Thank You'.

Bernadette then stopped by Penny's room to check on her and hear small whimpers from her still. Bernadette hoped she would go to sleep soon.

Penny laid in bed, hugging a pillow, pretending it was Leonard, every so often saying 'Leonard, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry' between her whimpering. She felt like a piece of trash, she had hurt Leonard again, she was always hurting Leonard, what kind of horrible person was she. She started to remember that day in great detail, going to his apartment to give back Sheldon's money, and telling him she thought Kurt had changed, so she was going out with him again. She didn't understand why he asked his question about if Kurt said why he suddenly gave the money back, but now it all fell in place, he had sacrificed for her again, and she hurt him again. Kurt was an ass but he was right she was a whore that was only good for screwing and leaving for the next guy. She wasn't worthy of Leonard, he was a White Knight and she was the town whore. How could any good man love her, that is why her life had been so screwed up with men, she was screwed up, she hated herself.

Penny never knew if she fell asleep that night, even for a little bit, her mind wouldn't let go, what Kurt had said and how she hurt Leonard. All night she relived every time she had hurt Leonard and she became more and more depressed when she realized how many times she could recall. Bernadette got up early next morning to check on her, she was surprised to see Penny's door open, but was even more surprised to find that Penny was gone.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX**

**Hope you are liking my story. Reviews are welcomed.**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Leonard's Tuesday was a carbon copy of Monday, a lot of work, followed by data reduction with no positive results. He was getting 20 percent of his experiment done each day, so now he was almost half way done, 40 percent done, with nothing to show for his work. Alex was a little worried about him, because that night, while he worked on his laptop, he had told Alex he wasn't hungry and just kept working again till midnight. What Alex didn't know was that Leonard had decided to adjust the power output of his lasers, because he thought that maybe he was using too much power and masking the results. His simulations supported his hypothesis, so tomorrow he would give it a try.

Bernadette was frantic, waking up Howard to tell him Penny was gone, she was scared, Penny had not been in a too good mental state last night and this being gone, so suddenly, was a little, crazy. Bernadette tried Penny's phone, but every time she called it went to voice mail, which was probably because it was off, and this didn't help to calm Bernadette's fears. She wanted Howard to track Penny's phone, but he couldn't as long as it was off, so again Bernadette was stymied in trying to find a way to locate Penny.

Bernadette called Amy, then Raj, and finally Sheldon, asking if they had seen Penny and if they had any idea where she was. Raj and Amy had not seen her and expressed their concern, Sheldon said she wasn't his responsibility and he had more important things to do. Bernadette didn't know what to do, so she made Howard take her over to Penny's apartment to see if she was there, talking to Amy, on the phone, most of they way there. Amy was getting just as upset as Bernadette that her Bestie was missing because she too had seen her last night and was worried about her mental state.

Bernadette and Howard arrived at Penny's apartment about 7:30 AM and started knocking at her door, calling her name, with no response. After about 5 minutes of this futile gesture, the door of 4A was opened by Sheldon.

"Oh, good you've come to take me to work. We need to get going or I will be late." Sheldon told them, while putting his bag strap over his shoulder.

Sheldon had taken one step toward the stairs when Bernadette turned on him. "Sheldon, where is your spare key to Penny's apartment."

"It is in the bowl, but I have to go to work and if we don't hurry, I will be late." Sheldon couldn't understand why Howard and Bernadette couldn't understand what he needed them to do.

Bernadette was not amused at Sheldon being Sheldon, she walked over and grabbed Sheldon's arm and drug him back to his apartment door. "Open it." she hissed.

"You're hurting me." Sheldon protested to her.

"Sheldon if you don't open this door in three seconds, I will really hurt you." Bernadette told him, while looking him straight in the eyes.

Sheldon was scared, so he quickly got out his keys and opened his apartment door. As soon as Bernadette heard the click of the lock, she let go of Sheldon, opened the door and grabbed the Penny's spare key out of the bowl. She then stormed past Sheldon, to Penny's door, unlocked in, and was in her apartment, looking for Penny. Howard followed her and immediately noticed that Penny's apartment was a lot more messy than usual, things looked like they had been thrown around by someone in a big hurry. A moment later Bernadette came out of Penny's bedroom.

"She's not here." Bernadette said as she looked around. "What happened here?"

"I don't know, it looks like someone was looking for something and went tearing through here. Look, her silverware drawer has been pulled out, her spoons, forks and knives are all over the floor." Howard observed

"Her bedroom is a mess too, there are clothes on her bed and on the floor." Bernadette added.

"Typical Penny poor housekeeping." Sheldon said from the doorway, getting a evil stare from Bernadette. "I need to go to work." he added.

"Sheldon, you are not going nowhere till we find Penny. You just call off from work." Amy said from behind Sheldon, slightly scaring him.

"Amy, Penny in not here and her apartment is a mess." Bernadette told Amy, trying to catch her up.

Amy and Bernadette looked around the apartment, that they had spent many nights with Penny, taking a quick inventory. While they were looking, Raj showed up to pick up Sheldon for work.

"Sheldon, don't you dare go to work. Call and tell them you are taking a vacation day. Raj you too. We need to find Penny." Amy told them both.

"Nothing, nothing seems to be missing. Even her laptop is still here." Bernadette told Amy.

"I agree, there seems to be nothing missing, just a mess and of course the kitchen drawer pulled out and dropped.." Amy observed.

"Where did she go Amy? She just took off, she never said anything." Bernadette was really worried.

"How about friends from work. Would she go to one of them?" Amy asked

"She has friends there, but they weren't the kind of friends you told your problems to, they were more friends, you could go out with drinks with. The only one I could remotely remember Penny being really friendly with was Cheryl, but I never heard her talk about anything deep with her." Bernadette said, deep in thought.

"Ok, how about Kurt, she threaten to hurt him last night, and her silverware drawer is pulled out. Are their any knives missing?" Amy asked

Howard walked over to the silverware on the floor, while Bernadette thought for a second. "I don't think she would actually stab Kurt, Amy. Now if a baseball bat was missing, then maybe."

"There seems to be a steak knife missing. She has a holder for four knives and there are only three." Howard told them.

"We better go to Kurt's" Bernadette said. "Does anyone know where he lives."

Howard, Raj and Sheldon said, 'Yes' in unison.

It was now a little after 9 AM and Amy, Bernadette, Raj, Howard and Sheldon were standing in front of Kurt's apartment door.

"This is not a good idea." Sheldon stated, standing behind everyone.

"Shut up Sheldon." Amy and Bernadette both said. Howard snickered a little.

Bernadette pounded on the door, nothing happened, she pounded harder, they gave it a kick.

The door flew open, Kurt standing there obviously just getting up, "What the hell." He looked at the people at his door and realized they were Penny's friends. "What the fuck do you want."

"Is Penny here?" Bernadette asked him

Kurt wasn't going to give them anything, much less a straight answer. They were looking for that whore Penny, good he thought she was probably in some motel room, drunk, the dumb bitch. "Get the fuck out of here, before I get pissed."

Kurt didn't know what hit him, one second he was standing looking down at a bunch of nerds, the next he was on the floor looking up at them, holding his junk, praying the pain would stop.

Bernadette walked over Kurt and into his apartment to see if Penny was there. A minute later she came out and stood over Kurt. "Have you seen Penny since last night or talked to her and you better tell me the truth." Bernadette gave Kurt the most evil look, Kurt had ever seen.

"No, you crazy bitch." Kurt barely got out

"And you better remember it." Bernadette looked at her friends, who all had shocked expressions on their faces, "Let's go." Bernadette hissed

Raj, Amy, Howard and Sheldon followed Bernadette to the front door of the apartment, none of them saying a word, especially Sheldon. Kurt crawled into his apartment and closed the door, he hoped he never saw that crazy bitch again.

"Lets go to the Cheesecake Factory." Bernadette commanded, no one disagreed.

It was a few minutes after 10 AM when Bernadette parked at the Cheesecake Factory and parked the car. "Amy come with me. The rest of you stay here." She directed and everyone nodded. Bernadette and Amy walked in and started looking for Cheryl, seeing her coming out of the kitchen, a moment later. Bernadette went immediately to her old co-worker.

"Cheryl, you have a moment?" Bernadette asked

"Bernadette, I haven't seen you in a while. Hey, do you know where Penny is?" Cheryl responded

Bernadette sighed, it was obviously Penny hadn't come to work. "No Cheryl, we were wondering if you knew where she was?"

"No haven't seen or heard from her. She is going to get fired if she keeps doing this. The manger likes her, but he will only take so much." Cheryl stopped talking, she could see Bernadette was upset. "What's wrong, Bernadette?"

"We haven't seen her since last night and the last time we saw her she was upset." Bernadette explained to Cheryl

Cheryl walked slowly to the corner of the room, then said softly. "Bernadette you know Penny tends to drink when she is upset, and she tends to pick up men for one night stands. Have you tried her apartment."

Bernadette also said softly, "I know, but she is not at her apartment."

"A motel." Cheryl said sadly

Bernadette hated to admit it, but Penny could have gotten drunk and picked up a man. She had done it before when she was upset with Leonard, also she could have went to a motel.

"Thanks Cheryl." Bernadette said, then made Cheryl promise to call Bernadette if Penny showed up for work. Bernadette was now a nervous wreck as she walked out of the Cheesecake Factory, Amy wasn't feeling all that great either. Both girls wondered where they were going to go next, looking for Penny. Bernadette leaned against her car in thought, while the guys got out. to stand around her.

Bernadette looked up, "I don't know specifically were to look next, so all I can suggest is a general search." she said

"Ok, where do you want us to go." Amy asked

"Amy, could you and Sheldon, check out motels and hotels in the area?" Bernadette asked, giving Amy a knowing look.

"Raj, can you go by some of the coffee shops and clubs, Penny has told us about, those around here and around the apartment, look for her car." Bernadette asked and Raj nodded.

"Howard and I will check parks and such places." Bernadette finished.

"Come on we'll take you to the apartment to get your cars." Howard added.

Four hours later, Bernadette, Howard, Raj, Amy and Sheldon, were sitting in Sheldon's apartment, trying to figure what to do.

"We need to contact the police." Bernadette said, desperate to do something

"They won't take a missing person's report until a person is missing 24 hours, if they are an adult, I called an hour ago." Amy said

Bernadette looked at Amy and nodded, "Thanks Amy, I forgot you were as worried as me."

"Maybe she went home, to see her family." Sheldon said

"I hate to get her parents upset, telling them she is missing." Bernadette said

"But what if she is home." Howard asked

Bernadette couldn't think of any other excuse to not call Penny's parents and they needed to know if she was home.

"Yeah we need to call, Amy." Bernadette got up to go to Penny's apartment, Amy following.

Ten minutes later, Bernadette and Amy were back in Sheldon's apartment with Penny's address book. "Sheldon, you need to call, Penny's father knows you." Bernadette told Sheldon

"Why me, you call him." Sheldon protested

"Sheldon just call him, then give the phone to Bernadette." Amy told him

Two minutes later, "Hello." said Wyatt

"This is Dr Sheldon Cooper, from Pasadena, is this Penny's father?" Sheldon said

"Is this the Sheldon who is Leonard's friend?" Wyatt asked

"Yes, I'm going to pass you to Penny's friend." Sheldon said, giving the phone to Bernadette like it was a hot potato.

"Hi, this is Penny's friend Bernadette." Bernadette said

Wyatt was wonder what was going on, "Hi Bernadette, is something going on."

Bernadette, after hearing his response, thought that this wasn't going to go good. "Is Penny with you or has she called you?"

"No, I haven't heard from Penny in over a month and she is certainly is not here. What is wrong?" Wyatt was getting a little concerned

"Sorry, but no one has seen Penny since last night, and she didn't go to work today. Also, she was upset when we last saw her. She is also not at her apartment, so we wondered if she went home." Bernadette explained

"No, is Leonard there?" Wyatt quietly asked

"No, he has been out of the country a couple weeks and doesn't even know this is happening." Bernadette explained

"Penny, sometimes wants to be by herself when things bother her and I'm sorry to say sometimes she drinks her troubles away. Have you contacted the Police." Wyatt asked

"Yes, but they won't take a report till 24-hours after an adult person is found missing. We wanted to check with you before we filed a report." Bernadette said

"Ok, I call some of her old friends here. Call me back if she doesn't return by the time you make a police report. I'll make a plane reservation for tomorrow afternoon and I'll be there by tomorrow night." Wyatt said

"You don't have to come, we will look for her." Bernadette said

"Bernadette, she is my daughter, if she is not back tomorrow, I need to be there." Wyatt said

"Ok, I understand. Let us know when your flight is and we will pick you up." Bernadette told him and then gave him her phone number and email address. They hung up shortly after.

"Where is she, she can't just disappear off the face of the earth." Bernadette blurted out and then started crying. Howard scooped her up in his arms to hold her.

Amy was starting to cry too, so she looked at Sheldon, who backed away. The next thing Amy knew, Raj scooped her up in his arms and she cried on his shoulder. Everyone was so upset, they didn't notice Raj telling Amy, 'Don't worry Amy, we'll find her and she will be alright.', Raj hadn't had a drop to drink all day.

They all remained in Sheldon's apartment until Sheldon got up and told them he was going to bed. They had spent the night trying to figure what to do and where to look for Penny, with no results. Bernadette called Cheryl, but Penny never showed up to work all day and she had not heard from Penny either, nor did she call work. Wyatt called Bernadette, to tell her no one had heard from Penny and to provide Bernadette his flight schedule, Bernadette had nothing new to tell him. They had also, checked Penny's apartment for clues to where she was, but found nothing. They all left for their homes in despair that night, promising to get back together at Sheldon's tomorrow at 7 AM.

It was almost 11 PM when Howard and Bernadette got home, they had taken the long way home, driving by a couple of bars that Bernadette had been with Penny, before. As they were getting ready for bed, Howard decided he needed to tell Bernadette something.

"Bernie, we need to tell Leonard." Howard told her

"Howie, if we tell Leonard he will get upset and probably come back here, like Wyatt." Bernadette responded.

"Honey, if it was me and you, I would have wanted to know before now. Leonard will hate us if we don't contact him and something has happened to Penny. You know him." Howard reasoned

"Do you have his number?" Bernadette asked

"No, I would have to get that tomorrow at work, but I can send him an urgent email tonight." Howard said

"Do it." Bernadette told him

Leonard got up, rushing around, Wednesday morning, he had a lot of work to do today. When he got to the Supercollider, Leonard spent the first two hours adjusting his lasers, and with Alex's help he had finished their calibration. The rest of day they ran the testing and had gathered data with the new settings. It was late afternoon now and they had just begun the data reduction when:

"Leonard!" Alex gasped

Leonard walked over to her terminal to look over her shoulder, a smile slowly forming on his face. There it was, it was definitely returns from the laser reflecting off of something and they had just started the data reduction. Alex and Leonard worked the next three hours getting all the data reduced and as they worked a small crowd of CERN personnel watched them, knowing they had found something significant. When they reduced all the data, and started to narrow on the specific frequencies, Leonard suddenly noticed that the background chatter from the people in the room disappeared, several of the senior scientists from CERN, that he had briefed on the first day, had showed up. With Alex running the terminal, Leonard briefed the data displays to them, specifically the frequency bands where the data was the strongest. After his impromptu briefing, the group of CERN scientist walked to the corner of the room to talk, in French.

Alex whispered to Leonard what she heard, "They are saying the American Physicist has made a breakthrough and this is going to solve some of the previous testing anomalies they have seen in other experiments." She then told him they all sounded really excited.

Dr Glauser came up to them a few minutes later. "Dr Hofstadter and Dr Jansen, we all are very excited on you data. We were going to start major modifications to the collider in nine months to correct problems that your data is showing may not be problems at all. Could you center you experiment on the frequencies you found today to firm up your data, plus give us data on the subatomic slush we now think is in the collider?"

Leonard answered, "Of course data from these frequencies will validate my experiment just fine and I would be happy to help. Dr Jansen what do you think?" Leonard had given Alex a little smile and a quick wink.

Alex was temporarily in shock, did they just call me Dr Jansen? She then saw Leonard smile and wink, so she finally got it together and answered, "Of course Dr Hofstadter." a little smirk on her face. Leonard thought he would send a quick email back to Cal Tech letting them know they were getting results, and check up on his email, since he had not logged on to his email all day. No sooner than his email opened up, he saw Howard's urgent email and opened it, Leonard thought his heart stopped.

Alex was watching Leonard out of the corner of her eyes when she saw him stiffen up and then turn white, while reading his email. She then watched as he walked up the Dr Glauser, to talk to him, something was seriously up.

Leonard said to Dr Glauser, "Do you have a phone I can call back to the United States, in private, it's important."

Dr Glauser looked at Leonard, who was obviously very upset. "Yes Dr Hofstadter, come with me."

Dr Glauser lead Leonard to an empty office and picked up the phone to talk to the operator, then asked Leonard for his number, which Leonard gave him. After less than a minute, Dr Glauser gave the phone to Leonard, "It is ringing." then he left the room.

Leonard was breathing hard, finally Bernadette answered 'Hello', "Bernadette, what is going on. Howard emailed me that Penny is missing, what is happening. Is she still missing, is she hurt. Where is she?"

Bernadette and everyone were at Sheldon's, Wednesday morning, when Leonard called. Bernadette listened to him and waited till he took a breathe, then told him everything that happened since the incident with Kurt. She then told him what they had done to look for her and about the mess in her apartment. Finally she told him Wyatt was coming up that night to help.

Leonard only thought for a second, "Bernadette I will be back there on the earliest flight I can get. I am going to pack and call the airlines now. I will try and call you when I get reservations, but I promise you I will be there soon."

"Leonard, what about your experiment, we don't know where she is, she is probably Ok and will show up any minute." Bernadette told him

Leonard counted silently to himself so he wouldn't yell at Bernadette, finally he said, "Bernadette I will see you all soon. Please send me email if anything changes, I probably won't be able to be reached by phone." Leonard then hung up.

Leonard, then left the office quickly and went to find Dr Glauser, he needed to get back to the Hostel fast. Leonard told Dr Glauser he had a family emergency and had to make some calls and get back to the hostel, so would he get him a cab. He also told him Alex could finish up tonight's work. Dr Glauser left Leonard to call for a cab, then Leonard went over to Alex, who was now staring at him.

Leonard walked over to Alex and grabbed her arm, leading her to the corner of the room, where they could talk in private.

"Alex, this between you and me only. I am going back to the Hostel to pack and I am leaving on the next plane out of here. I need you to do the best you can here, while I am gone, Ok." he told her at just about a whisper

Alex was confused, "What is happening, is something wrong?"

"Alex, Penny is missing, they can't find her, I need to get back." Leonard told her.

Alex could see Leonard was really upset, he had pain on his face and he looked scared. "Ok Leonard, I'll take care of things."

"Thanks Alex, I talk to you later at the Hostel. I won't be able to leave till morning, so I should still be there when you get back. See you later." Leonard turned and walked to Dr Glauser, who was back to tell him about the cab he got Leonard.

20-minutes later Leonard was in a taxi, riding back to the Hostel, planning everything he had to do to get out of Switzerland tomorrow morning.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The taxi ride to the Hostel took forever, Leonard was about to have a panic attack, he had already used his inhaler in the cab, he was so worried about Penny. He couldn't get the bad scenarios out of his head, he had to get back to Pasadena to help find her, because he blamed himself. He should have never broken up with her, he caused this, and when he saw her Sunday morning on the computer, he should have rushed back to her, she needed him. He couldn't help thinking what he would do without Penny, nothing else really mattered to him.

He thought about he situation in the cab, things were falling in place for him concerning her, she had changed some, she was in love with him, it was so evident to him now. She had told him before that she was afraid of love, because once she loved, she became vulnerable and then she always got hurt. He had done the same thing to her, she had told him she loved him, and shortly after, he freaked out about hearing she had doubts before, and broke up with her, what an idiot he was. He told her he wouldn't do that to her, then he did, what was wrong with him? Leonard sat in the back seat of the cab and began to pray, he begged forgiveness and promised he would take care of her, better than before, but please, please God, don't let anything have happened to her.

The taxi finally came to the front door of the Hostel and Leonard quickly paid the driver and hurried into the building. His mind was in overdrive, he had to get going, and he thought maybe he would go directly to the airport tonight, so he could be available for the first flight out. As he moved through the lobby, something become apparent, he had one of those moments in life, that changes everything. Leonard caught a glimpse in his peripheral vision, making his brain yell at him to stop, something is happening. Leonard came to a dead stop and turned, he almost fainted in shock, there was Penny.

At first he thought he was having a hallucination, he thought he saw some girl that just looked like Penny, but the more he stared at her, his mind confirmed it was her. Leonard hadn't moved, he was stunned, he couldn't help but stare at her, time seemed to stand still for him. He took in every feature of her beautiful face and in the back of his mind it registered that she was crying, why was she crying?

Penny saw Leonard run into the lobby and was about to yell his name, when he stopped and turned. The expression on his face was at first terror, then shock, and now confusion, it scared her, what if he didn't want her here, what if he didn't want her. She was terrified and she couldn't stop the tears that were coming from her eyes and covering her face. "Leonard?" was all she said.

Hearing her voice broke the trance Leonard was in, it was really her, her voice took away all doubt. "Penny, what…." he didn't know what to say, so he just started walking towards her.

Penny couldn't take it anymore, she had decided to come, while she laid in Bernadette guest bed, not being able to sleep, Kurt had been the final straw that broke her. She had wanted him to come back, when she talked to him on the computer, but Bernadette had been right he needed to complete his life's work, then she remembered the money from Las Vegas and decided this was what it was for, for her and Leonard to be together. She checked and there was a flight early in the morning, that would take her to Atlanta for a flight to Switzerland, if she hurried she could make it. She didn't have time to tell Bernadette where she was going, and she was afraid her friends would try to stop her, so she just left. 'Thank God' the traffic was so light, at that time in the morning, she rushed home, quickly packed her small suitcase, grabbing the passport she had never gotten to use, with Leonard years before. Then she got the money envelope, she had sealed, taped and put away, and a knife, to open it in the car. She hurried, as fast as she dared, to the airport, it was still not light when she got there, and she was slightly late, but the nice girl at the counter checked her in anyway, so she was off.

Penny been uneasy the whole time flying to Switzerland, trying to figure out what she was going to do when she got there. She knew he was as the CERN Hostel, because either he or Howard had told her, but she still didn't know what she was going to say him when she got there. She kept going over scenarios of their meeting in Switzerland over and over in her head the whole flight. She had to make him understand that she loved him, and he didn't have to worry, she was his. Also, she had to touch him, hold him and talk to him, to alleviate her fears, she had to know he was hers.

On the flight, her mind going over every option. she had even thought about something she was actually very ashamed of even thinking. She had actually wished she had stopped her birth control pills, when the break up first happened, so that she would get pregnant when they next had sex. She had never thought about ever doing that before, with any man, even looking down on girls who did such things. However, she was way past being reasonable, when it concerned him, and she knew Leonard would never leave her if she had his child. She knew thoughts like that were crazy, and she would actually never do that to him, but too much had happened the last couple of weeks and she was having trouble dealing with it all. That is why she had to be with him now, that is why she flew across half the world to be with him.

Now the man she loved and needed was walking towards her and she couldn't hold anything in anymore, she went running into his arms. Penny wrapped her arms around Leonard's neck and buried her face into his shoulder, crying, "Leonard, I love you, I'm so sorry, please take me back, I need you so much, please take me back." Penny held on to Leonard with dear life, she felt if she let him go she would loose him again.

Leonard had his arms around her waist, he had been so scared and now he was just so happy, she was safe with him. Leonard just wanted to hold her forever and protect her from the world, she was his world, he needed her badly, she was his happiness. He didn't know if he could let her go either, tears were running down his face. "Penny, I love you too, I'm sorry, I love you." he told her

Neither of them knew how long they stood there, in each others arms, but Penny stopped crying, and so had Leonard, which now made it possible for them to talk to each other. Leonard loosened his grip on her so he could look at her, but she just tighten her grip of her arms around his neck. He didn't know what to do, so he pulled her back into him and slightly turned his head so his mouth was near her ear.

"Penny, lets go to my room, and we have a lot to talk about." Leonard whispered.

Penny didn't want to let him go, but she understood they couldn't just stand in the lobby, plus she wanted to be more intimate with him, so they had to go to his room. She took her arms from around his neck and wrapped them around his arm, afraid to let go of him. Leonard smiled at her, then grabbed her small suitcase, taking it and her to his room.

After Leonard brought her into his room, closed the door and sat her on his bed, he sat beside her looking into her eyes. He couldn't describe the look she was giving him, but it made him feel like kissing her, and he knew they couldn't because they had to talk and get a few things done first.

"Penny, we need to call Bernadette and let her know you're here, everybody is going nuts in Pasadena looking for you. Everybody thought something had happened to you, I was worried something happened to you. You scared the hell out of us all, Penny!" Leonard had to stop, thinking back to just over an hour ago, the thoughts that had gone through his mind made him shutter.

"I'm sorry….I just had to come….I didn't have time….I'm sorry." Penny said between little gasps, she was about to cry again.

Leonard put his hand alongside her face and turned it to him, then kissed her gently. Softly he said, "Penny, don't cry. We just need to call them quickly, because they are in pain right now and we can't let it continue." Penny looked at him and nodded.

Leonard picked up the phone, and got the operator, to pass the contact information for Bernadette's phone. A few minutes later, he heard her phone ringing, and two rings later Bernadette answered.

Bernadette didn't recognize the number the call was coming from, so she was cautious, "Hello, who is this?"

"Bernadette, it's Leonard from Switzerland." Leonard said quickly

"Oh Leonard, we haven't heard any news yet, we still don't know where she is, are you still coming, when is your flight?" Bernadette said in one breathe, she was obviously upset.

Leonard could tell Bernadette was on edge, he was glad he would able to give her some relief, "Bernadette, Penny is with me. She showed up here about an hour ago and is sitting next to me, right now. She is fine, tell everyone please."

Bernadette sighed, she couldn't believe what Leonard said, "Leonard, did you just say Penny is sitting next to you and she is fine. She is in Switzerland!"

Howard, Raj, Amy and Sheldon, turned to Bernadette in shock.

"I promise Bernadette, she is sitting right next to me, right now. Hold on." Leonard passed the phone to Penny.

"I'm sorry Bernadette." Penny said, after taking the phone

As they all looked at her, Bernadette sighed, smiled and nodded to them. "Penny you scared the crap out of us, why didn't you say something before you left." Bernadette had raised her voice.

"I'm sorry Bernadette, I thought you would try to stop me. I had to go." Penny was again about to cry.

Bernadette could tell by Penny's voice that she was about to cry and that was something Bernadette didn't want to cause, things were too tense now. Penny had been going through so much, Bernadette didn't want to make things worse. When she responded to Penny, Bernadette soften her voice and spoke with care, "Penny, you stay with Leonard, OK. Take care of yourself, honey, we'll talk when you back. We all love you."

"I love you all too." Penny said, then gave the phone to Leonard

"I'll take care of her, don't worry." Leonard told Bernadette

"Leonard, you need to call her father, he has a flight to here, leaving in 4 hours. He needs to know she is OK. Also, Leonard make her tell you what is happening Monday, she needs to tell you herself." Bernadette then gave Leonard Wyatt's number.

"Ok, thanks Bernadette, bye." Leonard hung up.

Bernadette closed her phone, looked at Howard then grabbed him, buried her face in his shoulder and started crying. To Amy's shock, Sheldon grabbed her and pulled her to his chest, where she started to tear up. Raj sat there, about to cry himself, he felt Amy grab one of his hands, while she cried into Sheldon's chest, which comforted Raj. Sheldon, held Amy, trying not to cry himself, Penny being missing had scared him too, and he didn't know why he now felt so upset.

"Penny we need to call your dad, they called him looking for you and now he is upset, too. So we need to let him know you're OK." Leonard said to her. Penny nodded.

Leonard got the operator to connect them and on the third ring, Wyatt answered.

"Hello." was all Wyatt said, but Leonard could detect apprehension in his voice.

"Wyatt, It's Leonard, Penny is safe with me in Switzerland. She is sitting next to me. I'll put her on." Leonard handed the phone to Penny.

Before Wyatt could respond to Leonard's quick statement, he heard his daughter's wonderful voice.

"Daddy, I'm sorry." Penny said. Leonard thought she sounded like an eight year old girl on the phone with her father. Leonard just listened to her side of the conversation, but he could guess what Wyatt was saying, he knew what he would say if his daughter scared him like Penny had just done.

Penny listened on the phone for a short while, then, "Yes daddy…..No daddy, I'm sorry….Yes daddy, I know you love me…No daddy, I'm fine…Yes daddy, I'll call you when we get home…..I promise daddy, I'll stay with Leonard….Yes daddy, I'll give the phone to him." Penny then handed the phone to Leonard, there were a couple of tears in her eyes.

"It's Leonard, Wyatt." Leonard said to him not knowing what to expect.

"Leonard, please take care of her for me, son. Don't let her do something like this again, she scared the hell out of me. Just take care of her, OK." Wyatt almost sounded like he was pleading with Leonard.

"I promise, I'll take care of her sir." Leonard responded

"Ok, that is all that I can ask. Like I told her, call me as soon as you get back, OK. You can tell me what happened then." Wyatt sighed, it was still morning but he was already exhausted and he had tears in his eyes. "I'll go now, but don't forget to call me when you get back."

"I will sir, bye." Leonard responded. Wyatt ended the call.

Leonard hung up the phone and looked at Penny, she looked drained and he knew part of it was jet-lag, but the rest was an emotional toll she was going through right now. Hell, he felt drained now too, and he hadn't gone through half of what she had went through. He was now just realizing what she did, she came all the way to Switzerland to be with him, it was hard for him to comprehend she would do that. He needed to talk to her, but he also now needed to take care of her immediate needs.

"Penny, I know you're tired, but are you hungry, I could eat something now, how about you?" Leonard gave her a smile.

"Yes a little, I could eat." She responded.

Leonard took her hand and stood up, starting to lead her out of the room, to go to a nearby restaurant, but she stopped. He turned to her and he was looking right into her eyes, they were about the same height, so they always looked eye to eye, which was one of the attractions they had for each other. Leonard wasn't a genius, when it came to reading women, but Penny's face was like a children's picture book, he took a step towards her and their lips came together, the first time in several weeks, and 'WOW', the cat was definitely alive!

Penny and Leonard had not held each other in their arms and kissed, since the trip to Las Vegas. Their kiss quickly turned into the conduit of all their passion for each other and they acted like two lovers that had lost each other for years, instead of just weeks. Penny had been desperate, the last few weeks, to be in his arms and kissing, so after a few seconds she became lost in him. When his lips touched hers, a shutter had gone through her body, every part of it becoming sensitive to his touch, every part of it wanting him. Now, she had lost all consciousness of the outside world, he was the only thing she could sense and feel, her whole being was centered on kissing him.

Leonard, was lost in the fervor, Penny was always a passionate person, but this was different, he couldn't explain it. The kiss went on and on, Leonard had never kissed someone for so long, but each second seemed new and wonderful to him. Penny's body was pressed against his and he could feel her breathing, he could feel her heart and his, they seemed to be both beating in symmetry. They had been kissing a long time, but instead of decreasing, their passion seemed to increase suddenly and Leonard knew they would be tearing each others clothes off any moment now. However, in the back of his mind, the logical part of his brain was yelling at him to stop, he had things he had to do, he needed to take care of her. Instead of following his heart, he listened to that part of his brain that wasn't saturated in lust, he pulled away from her and broke their kiss. Regret immediately formed in the pit of his belly, when he opened his eyes to see the hurt in hers, her eyes burnt into his soul.

Their faces were only inches apart, their noses almost touching, and although she looked hurt, there was still lust in her eyes. Leonard swallowed hard, brought his hand up to the side of her face and gently stroked her cheek, then put a stray stand of hair behind her ear. He took a deep breathe, his eyes still locked on hers and started to talk to her.

"Penny, we need to get something to eat, then get you to bed." Leonard blurted out. Leonard hadn't really understand how that sentence sounded until, he saw her give him a small smile. He was confused for a few seconds, then as soon as he realized what he had said, he smiled back at her, he didn't care, if it made her smile, he would be her fool.

Penny, moved her face just a fraction closer to him until their noses touched, looking deeply at those beautiful brown eyes of his. He had stopped her, she was about to pull him to the bed, she was going to ravish him, she had never wanted any man, this man, so much in her life. She had forgotten about eating, at this moment she really didn't care, but she would not argue with him, just being with him and touching him, made her unbelievably happy. She just told him, "Ok."

Two blocks and 10 minutes later they were sitting in a booth, at the restaurant that Alex and Leonard had used, the last two weeks, for quick meals. They sat together, side by side, in a corner round booth, Leonard had specifically asked for, holding hands the whole time. After they placed their order and received their drinks, Leonard thought it was now time to get a few questions answered.

"Penny, what is happening Monday morning?" he asked while he looked into her eyes.

Penny was trapped, she couldn't lie, she didn't want to lie to him, "I have an acting job, I was suppose to go to. It's no big deal, they'll just get someone else." she then looked away from him.

Leonard knew when Penny was hiding something, "What kind of acting job, what is the part?"

Penny knew he wouldn't let it go, it wasn't in his nature, and she promised herself she would stop hiding things from him, so she just blurted it out, "I have the lead part in a children's science show, that we are doing a pilot for on Monday."

Leonard, stared at her, Steve had come through for him, this was the job he had wanted her to audition for, he was so proud of her, she got it, "Penny that is wonderful, I knew you could do it, this is your big break."

Penny just looked at him, he didn't understand, "Leonard, I'm not leaving here."

Penny had changed before his eyes, a minute before she was tired and emotionally drained, now she was determined and was digging in. This side of Penny he was really familiar with, he knew she was not going budge.

"But Penny, this is your dream, you can't not do this." Leonard tried to reason with her.

Penny was not leaving Leonard, she was staying with him until he came back, "No it's not, I know now you are my future, I am not leaving here without you, unless….." a tear formed in her eye, "you don't want me."

Leonard, promised to anyone, God, over an hour ago, that he would take care of her as long as she was OK, he was going to keep that promise, "Of course I want you, I'll go back with you, OK."

Penny was not about to ruin his dream, "No Leonard, your work is important, you need to finish it, I want to stay with you until you come back. Please, this is important Leonard, just finish your work, and let me stay."

Leonard, just looked at her, he didn't know what to say.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Penny and Leonard sat and looked at each other for a couple of minutes. Leonard didn't know what to say to her and she was afraid to say anything that could weaken her position to stay. They both were being selfless, both willing to give up their dreams to allow the other to have their dream. Leonard finally broke the silence.

"Penny, let's just eat and get some sleep, then we can talk about this when we are both rested, OK." Leonard couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew this conversation was a dead end tonight, and he didn't want press it, he was just happy she was here with him, safe.

Penny really was not planning to compromise, but she didn't want to fight with him, she didn't ever want to fight with him again, "Ok" was all she said.

Their food came out a moment later and they ate in relative silence, Penny tucked in close to him. Penny's left had held his left hand the whole time, while her hip was pressed against his. Right now they didn't need to talk, their closeness was good enough for both of them. The food was good and they ate quickly, both wanting to get back to Leonard's room to just be with each other, alone.

Penny and Leonard, entered his room and Leonard turned on the light, they were both full and tired, especially Penny. Alex was back to her room now and heard Leonard come in and saw the light come on, so she went to the inter-room door and found it was locked on Leonard's side, which surprised her, so she knocked. Leonard, had forgotten completely about Alex, with all that had happened in the last couple of hours, so he opened the door to let her in, so that they could talk.

"Alex, sorry, I got busy. You remember Penny." Leonard stood aside so Alex could see Penny sitting on the bed.

Alex was taken completely by surprise to see Penny there, she had real trouble keeping a composed expression on her face, Leonard had told her Penny was missing and now she was here. What had happened in the couple of hours since she last saw him?

"Hi, Penny." Alex barely got out, she was trying to control her emotions now.

Penny just gave Alex a little wave.

"Alex, how did things go after I left?" Leonard asked her

It took a second for Alex to focus on Leonard's question, "We got all the data processed and it all confirmed the preliminary results. We also set up the test plan for tomorrow to pursue the frequencies and wavelengths that showed results today. We are set for tomorrow."

"Good, thanks for your help. I guess we are good till tomorrow then. Thanks again, I'll see you tomorrow morning." Leonard said and smiled.

"Yes, tomorrow morning, see you." Alex then turned and left Leonard's room. She heard the door close and lock behind her. For the first time since she had gotten to Switzerland, she now truly felt alone.

Penny hadn't noticed the door between the rooms until Alex came through, which came as a surprise to her and not in a good way. But as soon as the jealousy formed in her mind, she dismissed it, Leonard wouldn't do that to her, she trusted him, she had no reason not to trust him explicitly, so she turned her concentration on him.

"Do you want to take a quick shower before you go to sleep? I bet you're really tired by now." Leonard smiled at her.

"Yes, I do, I feel like I have been living in these clothes for a week." Penny looked at Leonard "Take one with me." she asked. Leonard just nodded.

The shower seemed to wash Penny's worries away, but it also made her very tired. Leonard took control and gently washed her, and she stood there feeling comforted by every touch by him. By the time they were done, she was like a bowl of jelly, just ready to sleep, the jet-lag and everything catching up with her. They both dried each other, and she realized she forgot to bring sleepwear, so she wore one of his T-shirts, like she had done numerous times before. When they finally got into bed, Penny curled up close to him, kissed him and told him she loved him, which he readily returned. She was happy, warm and comfortable, the first time in weeks, and she fell asleep in seconds.

Leonard saw the fatigue hit her like someone had punched her, the warm shower had only made it worse, she was beat and she needed sleep. He figured she had gone without sleep for almost 48-hours, based on what she had told him, and Penny never handled sleep deprivation well. She immediately curled up to him, as soon as they got in bed, and he tried to hold her tight, in a comfortable way. She had fallen asleep so quickly, he couldn't believe it, but he knew she was asleep because her breathing was steady and she snored softly, like she always did, when she was dead tired. Leonard felt content and happy, with her in his arms, and he laid there thinking about what he was going to do tomorrow, he never realized when he finally fell to sleep.

The alarm clock surprised Leonard, and he quickly hit the off button, hoping he didn't wake her up. As soon as it was quiet again, he could hear her gentle snoring and knew she was still sound asleep. As carefully as he could, removed himself from her, to get up and start getting ready for the day, stripping to take a quick shower.

Something in Penny's subconscious, unconscious mind, told her something was different, the warm body next to her was gone. In her sleep she reached for him, a nightmare formed in her unconscious mind, he was moving away from her, she couldn't reach him, he kept getting farther away. Her eyes flew open, she was breathing heavily, Leonard wasn't there, it was all a dream, she was still alone. Penny sat up in the bed, she looked around, this wasn't her bedroom, it wasn't Bernadette's guest room, where was she? She was about to panic, then she heard the shower, it all came back, she was in Switzerland, this was his bed, that was probably him in the shower. She got up and walked into the bathroom, "Leonard?"

"Penny, you shouldn't be up. I'm sorry did the shower wake you?" Leonard was done, so he turned the water off, opened the door and grabbed a towel, starting to dry himself and standing there looking at her.

Penny couldn't believe how relieved she was to see him, she felt she was being crazy, but for some reason, now that she was with him, it bothered her that he was out of her sight. "I woke up and you weren't in bed, I'm sorry, I'm being silly, aren't I." She leaned towards him and gave him a kiss. "I got to go to the bathroom, too."

Leonard had completed drying himself and put on his robe, when Penny came out of the bathroom, yawning. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, so Penny walked over and sat in his lap, putting her arms around him and her face against his neck. She then started to gently kiss his neck, and Leonard held her a little tighter, as he felt her relax into him. He loved the feeling of her being so close to him, and he thought of just crawling in bed with her and spending the day with her.

Leonard finally gently told her, "Penny, you need to rest, you only slept for seven hours and it would better if you slept more. I really have to go to the Collider today." She stopped kissing him, letting out a soft sigh. He felt bad, "I….Penny is it ok if I leave for a little while, will you be alright, please tell me, how you are feeling?" Leonard was really torn between going to work or staying with her.

Penny thought, 'he needs to finish his experiment', "Leonard, I am tired still, I should be OK. When will you be back?"

"You should sleep at least another few hours. I'll leave a number at the phone that you can call, when you are awake, and then I'll come back, OK. Just ask for the American and my name and they will get me, Ok." Leonard told her. "And if you sleep all day, I'll be back to wake you up between, 5 to 6, OK."

"Ok, Honey, that sounds great. I'll call you when I've rested a while." Penny agreed. Penny pulled in a little closer to him and put her head against his shoulder and held him. As he sat there, with her in his arms, he felt her breathing become regular and she started to gently snore, Penny was asleep in his lap.

Leonard turned his body and moved Penny back into the bed, tucking her in and then he gave her a kiss. She laid in the bed, halfway between asleep and awake, her eyes closed, listening to him move around and getting ready, the sounds of him making her relax. Leonard was ready to go by 6:30 AM, and just before he left he saw that Penny was sound asleep, again. He put a page of paper under the phone with the Dr Glauser's number on it, for her to call him, then went to the door to leave.

Leonard, softly closed the room door and put the 'Do not disturb' sign on the door knob. He was about to knock on Alex's door when she opened and stepped out, Leonard was a little concerned at the blank expression she had on her face. Every morning he had been with her, she was very outgoing, smiling and full of energy, but now she looked standoffish. She said 'Good Morning' but then turned for the lobby and Leonard had to walk a little quicker to keep up, Alex was definitely not the same person he had been with the last two weeks.

The weather outside had turned colder and there were snow flakes in the air, the last winter blast before spring took over. Dr Glauser was parked out front, waiting for them, when they came out of the Hostel, so they immediately got in his car and drove off. Leonard told Dr Glauser about Penny and that he gave her his phone number, and Dr Glauser promised to notify the secretary to contact him if she called. Traffic was good and so they were all at the CERN facility cafeteria at 7 AM, eating breakfast, Dr Glauser and Leonard discussing their plans for the day. Alex sat there most of the time just listening, not really participating, but Dr Glauser was very excited and he kept Leonard's attention the whole time.

Today they concentrated on the frequencies and wavelengths that had been so productive the day before. The data they obtained provided additional verification that Leonard's experiment was a success and that they had a good handle on the laser settings that were optimum for results. Data analysis went quickly, also, due to the additional help that was supplied by CERN. Everything went so well, that by 4 PM they had completed work for the day, the earliest, since they had gotten to the Supercollider. They now had enough data to verify Leonard's theory was correct and lay the groundwork for new ways to detect and measure subatomic particles.

As soon as they finished up, Dr Glauser took Leonard and Alex to the side, of the room, for a discussion. It seemed that CERN management was extremely happy with the results Leonard was getting and their director had been in talks with President Siebert to discuss extending Leonard's and Alex's time at the Supercollider. CERN wanted Leonard and Alex to try and refine their laser detection testing, so CERN could detect and flush subatomic particles from the collider that they felt had factored into previous experiment's results. The CERN management wanted to have a meeting tomorrow to discuss it with Leonard and Alex. Also, there was a little dinner and cocktail party tomorrow evening to formally honor them for their success.

Leonard, thanked him, and he thought, Penny would really enjoy the dinner and cocktail party. However he remembered how little in the way in clothes she brought so he asked if Dr Glauser could advise a place for Penny to get some semi-formal wear. Dr Glauser laughed and called Dr Droz over to help Leonard on finding some clothing stores near the Hostel. Anna gave Leonard some addresses, that she shopped at, and the address of a good restaurant to go after, which Leonard thanked her for. Alex was a little hurt that Leonard had not asked her if she needed something, even though she didn't, she had brought a dress.

Leonard and Alex left the facility before 5 PM and were back to the Hostel a few minutes after 5 PM. Alex had been quiet during the whole trip back and had stared out the window of the car the whole time. Once back in the Hostel, Alex went quickly to her room, not saying anything to Leonard, which made him concerned. Leonard wanted to talk to Alex, but he was still worried about Penny, so Leonard went in his room, to find Penny sitting in the chair, watching TV, waiting for him.

"Penny, have long have you been up? You should have called me." Leonard asked, feeling a little bad.

"I got up about three, had a long bath and took my time getting ready. I just finished dressing 30 minutes ago." Penny got up walked over to him and kissed him.

"Well do you feel like going shopping?" Leonard asked her, smiling

She smiled, "I'm a women Leonard, I am born with shopping genes." Penny said giggling, then she asked coyly, "Why are we going shopping?"

"Well, first you need a warmer coat, then there is a mixer tomorrow night that is semi-formal, so maybe you need a dress?" Leonard said to her, "Also we can get something to eat while we are out."

Penny now had a big smile, she loved shopping and eating out, especially with Leonard, "I'm ready, let's go."

Penny and Leonard were out the door getting into a cab ten minutes later, and after Leonard gave the cab driver Anna's note, on the way to downtown Geneva. The first shop was a coat shop, which Penny got a nice coat, that almost went to her knees, and had fake fur around the edges, in a color that went nicely with her blonde hair. Now that she was warm, it was off to the dress shop, arm in arm with Leonard.

They spent a lot longer in the dress store, Penny picking out multiple dresses to try on and model for Leonard. Leonard was never big into shopping, but tonight he really enjoyed Penny smiling and acting so cute picking out dresses and then showing them off to him. They had been there about an hour, then Penny came out of the dressing room, in a very small black dress, giving Leonard a seductive grin, the dress was actually a little suggestive. Penny then went back to change and came out in even a smaller red dress, way too small and revealing for the party they were going to, again giving Leonard a seductive look and doing a little sexy wiggle. Leonard now knew she was teasing him, so he went to the door of the dressing room.

"Penny, that dress will give half the scientists at the dinner tomorrow a heart attack." He said through the door.

Penny answered with an apologetic tone, "Sorry sweetie, I'll try something a little more conservative. Can you unzip me?"

Penny opened the door some and Leonard stuck his arm in to unzip her, like asked. Leonard got the zipper all the way down, expecting Penny to hold up the dress, but she just left it fall to the floor, to reveal her standing there wearing only green and black panties with a Green Lantern symbol on the back. Leonard thought Penny was beautiful and that her butt was perfect, but now he was just staring at that butt, getting very aroused. Penny twisted her body and head to look at him with a big smile on her face, she then turned to look into his eyes, as she reached for the front of his shirt to pull him into the changing room. Leonard looked at her realizing she had more than dresses on her mind, at that moment, and started to walk into the changing room.

"Sir, do you need any help?" the salesclerk said to Leonard, in French, completely shocking the crap out of him. He turned quickly, stepping out of the dressing room doorway, closing the door behind him, looking horribly embarrassed.

Leonard didn't know what she said but he knew he needed to explain. "She needed her zipper pulled down!" he said while trying to show the sales clerk what he was doing with his hands.

The sales clerk nodded like she understood and turned to walk away, knowing exactly what they were going to do. His girlfriend was beautiful, wearing a very sexy dress and when he turned his cheeks were red and he was flustered, the clerk was French, she knew exactly what would have happened if she didn't interrupt them. She would have none of that in her store.

Leonard could hear Penny giggling in the dressing room when the clerk walked away.

"You are so in trouble." Leonard said to her through the door.

In a very teasing voice, "Well I guess I'll just have to make it up to you as an apology." Penny responded

Leonard smiled and shook his head, "I love you, you nut."

Penny suddenly sounded serious, "I love you very much, Leonard."

Penny came out a few minutes later wearing a beautiful conservative black cocktail dress, that she looked absolutely stunning in. Penny twirled in front of him with a huge smile on her face, then walked over to him and kissed him. She stood nose to nose with him smiling and nodding, he nodded back, that was the dress.

Alex had been in her room for a couple hours, trying to watch TV, but actually just feeling sorry for herself. After she had talked to Leonard, last night, she had just washed up and went to bed, she didn't even want to eat dinner, because she would have ate alone. Her and Leonard had been together almost constantly the last two weeks, and she had missed him last evening when she was all by herself. This second lonely evening, just made things worse, she wasn't really over him and now not having him to talk to her made her feel so alone. She had hoped, earlier this week, that being with him the next couple of weeks would allow her to get in a good place mentally with him, so she could continue being his friend and accept she could not be with him, as a girlfriend. But now, he was completely gone and she had not gotten over him yet, so all she felt was pain in her heart. She was even a little jealous of Penny, she now had all his attention, leaving her completely isolated.

They paid for Penny's dress, then Leonard took Penny to the restaurant, Dr Droz recommended and Penny instantly fell in love with, for a wonderful romantic meal. Penny and Leonard, ordered drinks and their dinner, then spent the time waiting, holding each other and kissing, both of them extremely happy in each other's company. They were sitting nose to nose, looking in each others eyes and smiling at each other, when the waiter came, with their meals, and made a small throat clearing noise to get their attention, so he could serve them. They spent the next hour enjoying their meals, which they feed and shared with each other, managing to kiss, hold each other and eat, all at the same time, with some success. They had so much fun laughing, giggling, talking and just concentrating on each other, that it came as a little surprise when the waiter interrupted them.

"Dr Hofstadter?" the waiter asked

"Yes, that's me." Leonard answered with a little concern.

"You have a phone call. Would you follow me." the waiter continued

Leonard looked at Penny with confusion, "I'll be right back." then he followed the waiter

The waiter led Leonard to the phone behind the bar, and handed him the receiver.

"Dr Hofstadter here." Leonard said in the receiver

"Oh good, Dr Hofstadter, I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner, Anna told me where she suggested you go and I knew you would want to be informed of this. Your associate, Dr Jensen, is in the hospital." Dr Glauser said to a stunned Leonard.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I want to thank everyone that has provided reviews and/or is reading my story. Your comments are very welcomed.**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Leonard came back to the table with a very troubled expression on his face, that worried Penny.

"Honey, what is wrong?" Penny asked in concern.

"Alex is in the hospital, we need to go there." Leonard responded

"What happened!" Penny asked in shock

"I don't know, we need to go see her and find out." Leonard told her with a concerned look on his face.

Leonard paid the bill, giving the waiter a generous tip, for helping Leonard get a cab and telling the cab driver where to take them.

Dr Glauser was sitting, on one of the hallway chairs, when he heard the elevator chime and saw Dr Hofstadter and a beautiful young blonde women come out and walk over to him.

"Dr Glauser, what happened to Alex? Is she alright?" were the first words out of Leonard's mouth, when he got within speaking distance of Dr Glauser.

"Dr Hofstadter, Dr Jensen is going to be fine, she is resting in the room over there, so there is no worry." Dr Glauser said with a smile.

Leonard visibly relaxed and took a breathe, "What happened, sir?"

"Dr Jensen was walking to a restaurant, close to the Hostel, when three juvenile thugs tried to steal her purse. They knocked her over and she cut her head, she has stitches. A nice young couple chased off the thugs, and helped her, but she had blood all over her face and clothes, from her head, so they call Hospital, so she is here now." Dr Glauser explained in a little bit broken English.

A doctor came out of Alex's room just then and Dr Glauser said something in French, to him, which lead to a short conversation. They talked for a couple of minutes and Dr Glauser pointed to Leonard, the doctor nodded, then walked up to Leonard.

"Hello, I'm Dr Jensen's doctor, are you her American friend?" the doctor asked

Leonard nodded, "Yes, I'm Dr Hofstadter, her associate and friend."

The doctor smiled and nodded, "She is doing very good, she cut her head, and we don't see any head injury, but she needed 5 stitches. We think she will not have any problems, however, when people have head injuries, we like to keep them overnight. You can come by tomorrow and pick her up, OK."

"Can I see her?" Leonard asked

"Yes, for a little while, we gave her medicine to let her sleep." the doctor smiled and walked off.

Leonard looked at Penny, "I need to see she is alright."

Penny smiled, "Go see her, I'll wait here for you."

Penny sat with Dr Glauser while Leonard went to Alex's room. When Leonard walked in, he wasn't prepared for the scene he saw, Alex laid in the bed, staring at nothing, with a gauze bandage wrapped around her head, looking fragile, pale and lost. He walked over to her and as he got closer he could see her eyes were red, she had been crying.

"Alex," Leonard said gently to her

Alex turned her head, and looked at him for a couple of seconds, "Leonard," she then started breathing heavily, he thought she was about to cry.

"Alex, how are you feeling?" Leonard walked up to the side of the bed and took her hand. He knew touching Penny when she was upset, helped her, so he hoped it would do the same with Alex.

Leonard's touch did make Alex feel better, "My head hurts a little. Leonard they knocked me down, I didn't know what was happening, I was so scared. I was just hungry and I was going to the restaurant. Why did they do that?"

Leonard didn't know what to say, why did one person hurt another person, in criminal activities. This was all his fault, he shouldn't have left her alone, "I don't know Alex, they were just bad people. It's over now, you need to rest."

"Leonard, I want to go home." Alex's said

"Alex, you have to stay the night, but they said you can come home tomorrow." Leonard tried to assure her.

"No Leonard, I want to go home, back to California." Alex eyes were pleading

Leonard, felt so bad for her, he decided he would make that happened, the way she looked he didn't want her to suffer anymore, "Ok Alex, as long as the Doctor says it's Ok, we'll try and get you on a plane for home, Saturday, alright?"

"Thank you Leonard," she sighed, "I'm tired, can you sit with me a little," Alex asked

"Of course Alex," Leonard pulled up a chair near her bed and sat with her, holding her hand, as she closed her eyes. 5-minutes later, she was breathing steady and regular, she was asleep. Leonard gently removed his had from hers, laying her hand on her stomach, then he left her room.

Penny had been talking with Dr Glauser, he was a nice man, when she saw Leonard walk out of Alex's room. He looked really troubled, so she got up to talk to him and find out what was wrong. "Leonard, is everything OK," she asked with concern.

"I have to go to the bathroom." was all that Leonard said as he looked down the corridor, looking for the bathroom, seeing it, then heading over to it. Penny watched him go, a little bewildered.

Leonard entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him, he was feeling sick and mad at the same time, tears were coming from his eyes. He stood there for about a minute, breathing heavily, then he couldn't take it any longer and kicked the garbage can, yelling "Dam it". Leonard then went to the sink and stared at himself, loathing the person in the mirror looking at him.

Penny and Dr Glauser had both turned in surprise when they heard the noise of the trash can and Leonard yelling 'Dam it'. Penny excused herself and went to the bathroom door and tried to turn the handle, but it was locked. She was worried, "Leonard, are you Ok?"

Penny's voice broke the trace he was in, "Yes, just give me a minute." he told her. Leonard then turned on the sink and splashed water on his face.

Penny waited a minute and was just about to say something, when the door opened and out stepped Leonard. He still looked somewhat distressed and exhausted. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Leonard sighed, then shook his head, "Nothing, she will be Ok. She is asleep now."

Penny was worried about him, he looked confused, like something was going on in his mind, he couldn't resolve, "Do you want to stay with her?" she asked.

Leonard had been thinking about that, he didn't know what to do, he had to think about Alex and Penny, he didn't want to leave Penny alone either. He was worried about them both, why couldn't he take care of them both? Leonard tried to think about it logically, Alex would be asleep till morning and the nurses would watch over her, so she wouldn't be alone. However, Penny would probably stay up all night, if he stayed with Alex all night, and Penny needed to sleep, she just got there yesterday, plus he didn't want her far from him right now. So he decided Penny needed him more at the moment.

Penny was looking at him, but he was just staring at nothing and he was obviously upset. "Leonard, sweetie, please come back to me?"

Leonard looked at Penny and could she that she had a worried look on her face, "I'm sorry, I don't think there is anything we can do here tonight, we'll come back in the morning."

Leonard walked over to Dr Glauser and explained what they needed to do. Dr Glauser said he would pick Leonard up in the morning to take him to the hospital and would now take him and Penny back to the Hostel. Leonard thanked him and went to the nurses station to provide his Hostel phone number, in case Alex woke up before morning.

Leonard was very quiet all the way from the hospital to the Hostel. He thanked Dr Glauser for the ride and told him he would see him in the morning, then Leonard took Penny back to the room. Once in the room he sat on the bed, staring again for a couple of minutes, he knew why Alex was hurt, he had left her alone and forgot about her, since he was concerned about Penny. How could he be so stupid, he left her and all she wanted to do was get something to eat, she was hungry, just hungry. But she had no one to go with, he had abandoned her, she had no one, she was alone. What was wrong with him, how could he just leave her alone like that, that was so cruel, he was a bad person. Oh God, what if she had been hurt worse, or dead, he really had screwed up, boy had he screwed up, he hated himself.

Penny watched Leonard, he was so distant, he was breathing hard and he was really upset. She then realized why, she should have noticed it before, Leonard was blaming himself, he felt responsible for Alex getting hurt. Leonard always felt responsible for everyone, he was so protective of everyone around him, 'Especially me', she thought. She needed to help him, he can't take responsibility for everyone, he had to see that.

"Leonard it's not your fault, honey. You didn't hurt Alex." Penny told him

Leonard looked at her, he was breathing hard, "She was my responsibility, I was suppose to take care of her. Who else's fault is it?"

"The people who hurt her. Not yours." She answered

Leonard thought, 'She didn't understand', he wanted to tell her, he loathed that he was keeping a secret from her. How would she take it, he knew he was probably doing something dumb, but he had to tell her.

"Penny, I am madly in love with you. You know that, don't you?" Leonard started

Penny nodded, "Yes Honey." He was leading to something, Penny could tell by the way he is acting.

Leonard decided to go on, "I would never risk what we have together. You are the one I want and the one I am with." he took a breathe, "Penny something happened last weekend with Alex. She told me she loved me."

Penny felt her heart go to her throat, she just stared at Leonard, she didn't know what to say, what to do. She had never imagined he would say that, when he started this conversation, she was shocked, angry, hurt, confused and wanted to just run away. But while she looked at him, she saw his eyes, she knew he loved her, he had told her so and he didn't lie about those things, he wasn't that kind of guy. She told herself. 'Get over it Penny, he needs a girlfriend he can depend on.' So she willed herself to calm down, Alex hadn't taken him away, he was still hers. She thought for a moment, she had to say the right thing so she wouldn't hurt him, he was already hurting too much.

"Honey, I'm sorry, that must have been difficult for you." She said, while taking his hand.

'She understood, at least a little', he thought, he then said very quietly, "I told her, I wasn't over you, and we were getting back together when I got back. I broke her heart. I talked to her and tried to tell her, tried to make her understand, that it wasn't her, that I was still in love with you and couldn't be with her." Leonard stopped for a couple seconds trying to compose himself.

Penny was trying so hard not to cry, Leonard was so different than any man she had ever known, she loved him so much. She couldn't find words to say so she just took his other hand in hers to try and comfort him.

Leonard look at her, "Penny, I love you, but it is hard for me to hurt someone who loves me. Do you understand?"

Penny nodded, she loved him, she wanted to take him in her arms, but she knew he had to finish. Penny also wanted to hate Alex, but she couldn't, not with Alex laying in a hospital, hurt and alone. She knew Leonard was a great guy, and other smarter girls probably saw that quicker than she had, so she could see them falling in love with him. Priya did, Stephanie did and now Alex, all beautiful smart women, they had all wanted Leonard. If he wasn't truly in love with her, she would have lost him long ago, and thinking that sent a shiver up her spine. She looked at him, trying to let him know, how she cared about him.

Leonard continued, "I have been rejected many times before in my life, and I know how that feels, I didn't want to do that to someone else. So, I didn't allow it to be awkward, and I made sure she knew I was still her friend and I tried to keep things like they had been before. I think she was getting over it, as long as things were the same, I think she would have been fine, but then I forgot about her. I should have took her with us tonight, I left her alone. Penny she had no one, all she wanted to was eat, so she went out by herself and got attacked." Leonard was having a little trouble breathing, again.

Penny knew how Leonard was, he was taking all the responsibility on his shoulders again. "Leonard, if it was reversed and I was here with a guy, I loved, would you have gone out with us tonight?"

Leonard looked at her surprised, and quietly said, "No."

"Neither would have Alex, as a women, I can guarantee that. She wouldn't have wanted to be around us. So what would you have done?" She asked him

"I don't know." Leonard answered, he couldn't find an answer to her question.

Penny took her hands from him and put her arms around his neck, drawing him close enough that their noses almost touched and stared into his eyes. "Honey, I don't know anyway you could have kept her from being a little hurt, about you not loving her that way, you can't just make things better, unless you left me for her, that would be the only way. Do you want to do that, to make Alex happy?" Penny held her breathe, she thought she knew what he was going to say, but there was a tiny amount of uncertainty and that scared the hell out of her.

Penny didn't have a second to worry, "No Penny, I love you, I don't know what I would do without you, my life wouldn't be the same." he sighed, "But Penny, both of you are my responsibility right now. I have to make sure both of you are OK. You're the one I love Penny, please don't hate me that I need to take care of her, too."

"Honey, I know you love me. I don't hate you." Penny then gave him a kiss, then she pulled him into a hug.

Penny and Leonard sat there, for a while, holding each other, not saying a word. Leonard then let her go and suddenly he got animated, like something had came to him, and he got up to turn on his computer.

As the computer booted up, Leonard turned to her, "Alex needs to go back to California Saturday, and so do you." he had a determined look on his face.

Penny's heart skipped a beat, she was about to cry, the way he looked at her, left no doubt he wanted her to go, she couldn't understand what was happening, she didn't want to leave him. She thought that they were good, didn't she do the right thing just now, she was now distressed, "Please Leonard, I love you, please don't send me away. I don't want to leave you."

Leonard shook his head, "No, I'm sorry, I am not sending you away, I'm going with you both."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

As soon as his compute booted up, Leonard went to his email and sent Howard an urgent email. It was 11 PM in Geneva and 2 PM in Pasadena.

'Howard, I need you set up a Skype session between me and Dr Gablehauser in the next hour. It is really important.' Leonard hit send.

Howard must have been sitting at his computer, Leonard got a response in two minutes, 'Ok, Leonard, let me see what I can do. Stay on-line.'

Leonard sat back and sighed, now all he could do was wait. He turned to see Penny looking at him, and he couldn't read her face, she just had a blank expression on it.

"Penny, I need to do this." Leonard said looking at her.

Penny had sat and watched him the whole time, she didn't know how she felt, she had been confused and emotional the last few 20-minutes, so she now trying to think things out. She didn't know if she was mad at him or not, or was she just feeling sorry for him or herself. The bottom line was she loved him, even though she was having mixed feelings about what he was doing right now. He was sacrificing himself for her again, and a little bit of that was for Alex too, he always did that, put people, especially her, above his own interests. It was one of the many reasons she loved him so much, he cared about everyone, but sometimes he cared too much and she knew she didn't want him to ruin his career for her. Penny knew she had to 'suck it up' and get over her own insecurities and fears, be the girlfriend Leonard deserved, if she ever wanted to convince him she was the girl he needed for his wife. She wanted them to be a team now, Team Hofstadter, she wanted to be there for him as much as he was for there for her.

Penny got off the bed, not saying a word, and closed the distance between them. When she reached his chair, at the table, she sat on his lap, put her arms around him and kissed him. Penny kissed Leonard, like there was no more tomorrows, it was a deep kiss, a passionate kiss, a kiss that expressed her love for him and it went on forever. Penny and Leonard got lost in that kiss, their whole world reduced to their bodies being so close to each other and their mouths being their conduits to each other. When they finally stopped, they just looked into each others eyes, nose to nose.

"Leonard, I can't take you away from your experiment? You can't leave now. I can't be responsible for you not finishing it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself" Penny thought she would try to reason with him, she didn't want him to give up so much for her.

"Penny, You have to do this acting job, I have to see you get a chance at your dream, I couldn't live with myself either, if you don't take this chance. So just let me have this, OK?" Leonard had explained his case, so now he just watched Penny to see what she was going to say.

The solution became so obvious to Penny, surprised her, "Leonard, I'm going to take Alex home, and you are going to stay here and finish."

"Penny…." Leonard tried to say, but Penny put her finger to his lips to stop him.

"Leonard, It's only logical." Penny said with a small smile, then, "Leonard, I can do this now, it will be OK, I'm not as scared anymore. Really, I can do this."

Leonard looked at her and the determination in her eyes, God, she was so beautiful, he was so crazy about her. But he still felt he needed to take care of her, so he still had doubts. "Penny, I told your dad I would take care of you."

"Leonard, You can put me on the airplane, and have one of our friends meet me at the airport, when I arrive. I promise not to take a parachute with me and try to escape. I won't go anywhere without telling someone, OK?" She was half teasing, but she was also trying to make him feel safe enough to let her go.

Leonard thought about it a minute then looked at her, "How did I ever find a smart and wonderful girl like you?"

Penny smiled, "You're a genius. By-the-way, don't forget, I am smart and wonderful, while you are here, and that I am waiting for you in California." she gave him a pretend stern look, which she was rewarded with by another long kiss.

An hour later Leonard was in front of the computer talking with Dr Gablehauser, and to his surprise, President Siebert.

"Sir, my graduate school student, working with me here, Alex Jensen, was mugged tonight and is in the hospital as we speak." Leonard told them.

President Siebert was the first to ask, "Leonard, is she OK, what happened?"

"Three thugs tried to steal her purse and hurt her in the attempt. She had a deep cut to the head which required stitches and she is in the hospital, over night for observation, to make sure her head wound is not serious." Leonard told them.

"So she is going to be OK, then. Nothing else happened?" Dr Gablehauser asked.

"Yes, she should be OK and no, nothing else happened. But she has asked to return back to California, because of it, and I am going to schedule her to return as soon as the Doctor, approves it." Leonard told them.

"Yes, of course." President Siebert said. Leonard didn't know that President Siebert had a daughter, who was a freshman in college, so hearing about Alex getting hurt just made him think of his daughter.

"Leonard, let us know what flight she is coming back on and we will have someone and a car to meet her." President Siebert added.

"Thank you, sir." Leonard responded

Dr Gablehauser then asked him. "Leonard, how is you experiment coming along? We've been hearing a lot of good information from CERN."

"Sir, I already have enough data for my paper and it is good enough to prove my theory. There is some additional work I need to finish, though before I can wrap this up. I am almost a week ahead of schedule, because of Ms Jensen's help." Leonard told him.

"You know CERN has been asking me for you to stay longer and help them with undetectable subatomic particles in the collider?" Siebert told him.

"Yes sir, but I was never planning on staying that long, I only planned on being here a month at most, so I would need to come back for a little while and take care of some things there before I can commit to staying in Switzerland for any extended period." Leonard told Siebert

Siebert looked at him and said, "I agree. I will talk to them in the morning. You need to come back for a short time. A week, two?" Siebert asked.

"I would prefer two." Leonard said.

"Ok Leonard, and by-the-way everyone here at the University is very proud of the work you are doing, and when I say everyone, I mean the chancellor and board of directors. Keep up the good work." Siebert told him with a smile.

Leonard, Gablehauser and Siebert talked some more about Alex, the experiment and CERN, before they ended the Skype session. Leonard never understood why President Siebert was so supportive of Alex and her situation, but things were now falling into place. He was a little bit happier because now Penny and Alex would be, OK.

Leonard closed his computer, then turned to look at Penny, "Well I think you and Alex will be able to go back on Saturday, after all."

"We should go to bed, it is after midnight and you told that nice Dr Glauser that we would be ready at 8 AM to pick up Alex." Penny said. Leonard nodded.

Leonard and Penny took quick showers and were in bed within a half hour. Penny lay there, in Leonard's arms, her back pressed against his chest, she was tired, but she felt warm and secure, the way she always felt with him. Leonard was tired too, but having Penny in his arms comforted him and he gave her a kiss behind her ear.

"I love you Leonard." Penny said upon feeling his kiss. She had decided she would tell him that every night and every morning, so he would never doubt her love.

Leonard smiled, "I love you, Penny." and he pulled her into him, every slightly more, so that his face and nose just brushed her hair, which made her smile.

They both fell asleep quickly and soundly that night.

Penny barely heard the alarm go off, because she was all snuggled in the cocoon she was in, that was her being in Leonard's arms, pressed against him, and then the covers over them both. Leonard moving to turn the alarm off, is what finally woke her, that and the gently kisses he was planting on her neck. She smiled, she was so happy right now, she couldn't think of any other place she would rather be at that moment. She scooted around so she was nose to nose to Leonard and gave him a kiss. "I love you." she said to him as soon as they broke their kiss.

"I adore you and love you." Leonard answered, and was rewarded with another kiss, this time Penny practically climbing on top of him. The both laid there, their bodies intertwined, staring into each others eyes, smiling and giving each kisses, for about five minutes, until they both resigned themselves that they had to get up. To get enough sleep they had set their alarm to get up at the last possible minute, to get ready, and now they were running late.

Penny and Leonard raced to get ready and actually caught up, but then Leonard suddenly remembered something, Dr Glauser told him last night.

"Penny, could I ask you a favor? Last night Dr Glauser said Alex had blood all over her clothes, so we should probably bring her fresh clothes. I think a girl picking out her outfit would be much better than me. Could you do it?" Leonard asked Penny

Penny really didn't want to pick clothes for Alex, but she sure didn't want Leonard to, especially picking her underwear, so she smiled, "Yes, I can do that." Penny went to the other room and found that Alex had her outfits all hung up together, already coordinated, so she just grabbed one. Penny then opened a couple dresser drawers until she found Alex's underwear and was a little aggravated when she noticed several sets from Victoria Secret. She was about to close the drawer, when something familiar caught her eye, it took a second for her to realize what it was, it was one of Leonard's T-shirts! Anger started to build in her and all she could think of was 'That Bitch', she grabbed the T-shirt, Penny was not having none of that, Alex was not allowed to have any of Leonard's clothes. Penny came back to Leonard's room, with Alex's clothes put in a small carrying bag she got out of Alex's room, she stopped and thought for a minute, then while Leonard had his back turned she stuffed his T-shirt into her bag.

Dr Glauser was parked outside when Penny and Leonard walked out of the Hostel door, he was early. The trip to the hospital took longer this morning, due to local traffic, so they just talked about Alex and the experiment during the trip. Penny sat quietly, trying to calm herself, she was unhappy about the T-shirt Alex had grabbed, because she remembered she had grabbed one of Leonard's after they broke up, so she knew why Alex grabbed Leonard's, and that was what upset her. Penny was just as mad at herself as she was at Alex, she realized how close she had been to losing Leonard. There were a lot of girls like Alex out there for Leonard and her insecurity had almost let them have him, never again she thought.

After arriving at the hospital, Dr Glauser, Leonard and Penny went straight up to Alex's room, she was awake and her doctor was there.

Alex's doctor turned and smiled, "Ms Jensen is in excellent health, she can leave now with you." He then smiled at Alex.

"Doctor is it alright for Ms Jensen to take an flight to America tomorrow?" Leonard asked. Alex eyes got big upon hearing that.

"If Ms Jensen is fine with that, yes she can fly tomorrow. An American doctor can remove her stitches." the doctor then turned to Alex, "Ms Jensen, I will complete the paperwork and you can leave as soon as you are dressed. Take care." he left the room then.

"Alex, we brought you some clean clothes." Leonard said gently to her as he handed over the bag.

Alex took the bag and looked inside, it had a coordinated outfit in it, she looked at Penny, and said to them all, "Thank You."

"We'll be outside when you are ready." Leonard said, then lead their group out of Alex's room.

After they had left her alone, Alex looked back in the bag, besides her clothes was Leonard's T-shirt. Penny obviously put it there, she knew, putting the T-shirt in there was her telling Alex she knew, Leonard never would had done that, he would have left it in her drawer or taken it back. Alex couldn't blame Penny, she would have probably done worse if she was in Penny's place, Alex was just happy she still had the T-shirt.

Alex left her room, with a clear bag holding her belongings, to find her doctor, Dr Glauser, Leonard and Penny all waiting for her. Penny gasped when she saw Alex's bag, because all Alex's clothes were stained red, and Penny again found herself having trouble hating Alex, after all she been through. Alex received her release paperwork, and then was taken to the car for the trip back to the Hostel. The trip back was going to be entirely uneventful, with Alex and Dr Glauser in the front seat and Leonard and Penny in the back seat, holding hands.

"Is everyone hungry?" Dr Glauser said, about halfway back from the hospital. No one said anything.

Alex realized that everyone was waiting for her to say something, because they didn't know how she felt and didn't want to push her. "I am hungry. I didn't really have much to eat at the hospital." she announced

Leonard and Penny both admitted they were hungry, right after Alex spoke.

"Good. I know an excellent Belgium Waffle house, I think you will like." Dr Glauser said with a big smile.

A little over a half hour later, Alex, Leonard and Penny, were eating the best waffles they ever had in their lives. They were all smiles, even Alex, and telling Dr Glauser what a great idea it was to eat there, which only made Dr Glauser's smile larger. Dr Glauser had called the travel office at CERN, just before they sat down to eat, to arrange for Alex and Penny's round trip tickets, return trip, to be scheduled for Saturday. He got a return call just about the time everyone finished eating. Dr Glauser talked for a few minutes in French, then hung up.

"Everything is good. The flight for you two, back to America, will leave, at 11 AM tomorrow morning." Dr Glauser informed them, while looking at Penny and Alex. "Other good news, CERN has made it so you will travel in Business Class, so you will be comfortable." he said smiling.

"Thank you Dr Glauser, and thank the CERN management for me please." Leonard said with gratitude. Penny and Alex also gave him their thanks.

On the way from the restaurant to the Hostel, Dr Glauser asked Leonard if he wanted to stop by the facility for a while this afternoon, but before he could respond, Alex spoke. "Dr Glauser, I would, like to take a couple hour nap, but I would really like to come by and say good-bye to everyone." Alex said to him.

Dr Glauser smiled, "Good, everyone would like to see you, too. It is now 10 AM, I could pick you up at 2 PM, would that be good? Also, Dr Hofstadter, would your Penny like to come, we can give her a tour of our facility?"

"Leonard, can I? I would like that." Penny said a little excited.

"Alex, is Dr Glauser" plan OK with you." Leonard asked Alex.

"Yes, that is perfect." Alex answered.

Then to Penny, "Of Course." he said

They were all in their rooms, in the Hostel by quarter after 10 and Alex was asleep on her bed 5 minutes later. Penny left the door between the rooms open and told Alex to come over if she needed anything. Leonard was proud of Penny. Leonard and Penny ended up taking a little nap of their own for about two hours, then went out to get something to eat, bringing a sandwich back for Alex, if she was hungry when she woke up.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The afternoon went very well at the CERN facility, with Alex being the center of attention, and everybody being so nice and supportive of her. Leonard got his equipment ready, for resuming the testing on Monday, while Alex saved previously acquired data for him, and talking to sympathetic personnel working around them. Penny had been whisked off for a tour of the facility, by Dr Jan Blosch, no sooner that they arrived, which aggravated Leonard a little, but he trusted Penny, so he didn't let it bother him too much.

The director asked if anyone would take Dr Hofstadter's friend on a tour and Dr Jan Blosch could not be bothered until he saw Dr Hofstadter's friend. Jan saw the beautiful blonde that was Dr Hofstadter's friend and suddenly he felt like a tour director. As Jan introduced himself to Penny, he couldn't help think, where was Leonard getting all these beautiful women, were the women in California all this pretty? Jan had been to America before, but not California, so if they were all so beautiful in California, he needed to a vacation there soon.

Penny was honored by all the attention she got at the facility, because of Leonard, he seemed to be quite a celebrity there. The man they provided her for the tour was extremely handsome, seemed very nice and exceedingly charming. Penny was really enjoying the tour by this entertaining man and she was amazed at the size and complexity of the Supercollider. So it took over an half hour for her to realize that this handsome scientist was hitting on her. She now immediately took a disliking to Jan Blosch, she knew he knew Leonard because they addressed each other by first names, so he had to know she was with Leonard, yet he still thought he could hit on her. She felt it was an insult to Leonard and therefore an insult to her, she thought, 'Leonard is a better man than you ever will be.'

Jan was showing Penny a large part of the facility from one of the work platforms and they were both leaning against the guard rail looking down, when Jan decided to get a little closer to Penny. Jan put his arm around Penny and his hand on the rail, to her opposite side, his arm pressing slightly on her back. Jan was quite pleased with himself on his subtlety but obvious gesture to let this beautiful blonde know he was available and interested in her.

Penny was not amused, she was pissed, "What do you think you're doing!" she said, very loudly, as she looked him directly in the eye.

Jan was shocked at her response, but her eyes, she looked like she was going to kill him. He quickly moved his arm from around her and took a step back, scared, "I wanted….. to make sure you were safe."

Penny thought 'Safe my ass.' she saw a couple technicians around their area, who were now stopped, looking at them after Penny's outburst, she thought 'Good'. "You think trying to cop a feel of me is OK? What kind of pig are you?" She said loudly. Penny could see a couple of the technicians pointing and snickering.

Jan was stunned and confused, "I didn't…..I mean ….I'm sorry." he stammered out.

"The hell right you are sorry. You really think I would ever be interested in a dork like you?" She again said loudly, "I want to go back now!"

"Yes, Yes… Please follow me…..I'm sorry." Jan said quickly, leading Penny out and staying a meter away from her.

Penny tried to hide the small smile she had, as they left, as she heard some of the technicians laughing. This Dr Blosch was a handsome bad boy, the kind she dated so much of her life, when she was young, and when she thought those guys were something. Now with Leonard, she knew what a good guy was and she was not going to take any crap from that type again.

A few minutes later Penny arrived where Leonard was working, with a very subdued Dr Blosch following. Penny walked over to Leonard, and planted a long kiss on his lips, which did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room, especially Dr Blosch, who turned and left quickly.

Leonard was more than a little surprised that her tour was short, just over 30 minutes, but he was stunned by the kiss, "Penny, Um….can you catch me up?"

"Leonard, that Dr Blosch was a real ass. He took me back into the facility, then tried to put a move on me. I had him bring me right back." Penny said semi-loudly so everyone could hear.

Dr Droz, giggled, she always thought Jan was an ass, too. She walked over to Penny and Leonard, "Penny, I am Anna, I would be happy to show you the rest of the facility and along the way we can discuss what an ass Dr Blosch is." Anna said with a big smile.

Penny smiled, "Well thank you Anna, I would like that. Bye Honey." Penny gave Leonard another kiss and then followed Anna out of the room. A second or two later everyone hear Anna and Penny laughing, as they walked down the hall, to the rest of the facility.

Leonard had just completed his work when Alex showed back up with Dr Glauser, after visiting with everyone, she had worked previously, at the facility. She was happily chatting with Dr Glauser in French and Leonard was glad she seemed so happy after everything that happened the last 24 hours. Alex walked over directly to Leonard with Dr Glauser in trail.

"Leonard, the dinner is still on tonight, I'm feeling good, and I think I would like to go." Alex told him, she seemed back to her old self.

"Wow, you seem in good spirits." Leonard responded

"Everyone is so nice and I would like to see them all, one last time before I leave. Plus they are having pressed duck and I have never had pressed duck, it sounds good. And if I get tired or feeling bad, I can always leave, however, right now I feel pretty good." Alex told him, again smiling.

Leonard chuckled a little, "Whatever you want to do. It sounds like fun. I'm done here, so as soon as Penny returns, we can go back to the rooms to get ready."

"Good, Dr Glauser gave me the times and will pick us up, but we will have to squeeze three in the back seat, because Mrs Glauser will be with us." Alex told him.

Penny arrived, 10 minutes later, her and Anna laughing harder than when they left. "Have fun?" Leonard asked her

Penny smiled at him, "Very much. Dr Droz, is a very fun person." Penny then turned to Anna and gave her a wink, then both women giggled.

Alex, Leonard and Penny left the CERN facility 15 minutes after Penny's return and were back in their rooms, by 5 PM getting ready so that they could leave again at 6 PM.

Leonard took a very quick shower, had shaved and was now splashing on cologne, while in his boxer shorts, Penny was having a hard time keeping her eyes off of him. Seeing Leonard getting ready with her, like they were man and wife, reminded her again of Las Vegas, as a matter of fact it was just like Las Vegas, she thought, and she found herself longing for him again. She was having to tear herself away from watching him to get ready herself, when all she really wanted to do was get undressed, instead of dressed, and take him to bed. Penny finally was able to concentrate on what she was doing for about 15 minutes, until Leonard came up to her for help with his tie, 'God he looks so sexy', Penny thought, while trying to help him with his tie. Moving the tie around Leonard's shirt, adjusting his collar, and all the touching, of him, it took her to make the tie look right, took every bit of strength she had to not start kissing him and making out with him. Penny wondered if she was going to make it through the night, with him looking like that, she had not made love to him in weeks and she really wanted him.

Leonard was pretty much oblivious to what was going on with Penny, until she started to help him with his tie. She kept running her hand over his chest and when she adjusted his collar, she rubbed his neck with her fingers, plus several times he noticed her lick and bite her lips. Also, what did he see in her eyes, after she was done with his tie, was that lust? He had seen lust in her eyes, when she opened them, when they had made love before, but he had never seen her act like this while they did mundane things, like get dressed. He thought about asking her if something was going on, but thought he was just probably over thinking things again, so he just drove the thought from his mind and continued to get ready.

Penny and Leonard did manage to get dressed and ready before they needed to leave. So as soon as they were ready, Leonard looked at Penny, "I wonder how Alex is doing?"

Penny smiled at him, "I'll check," she then turned to the inter-room door and knocked, "Alex, it's Penny, can I come in?" Penny heard a 'Yes' from behind the door, from Alex, so she entered.

Alex was dressed and trying to put on makeup around her bandage on her head. She had removed the large gauze wrap that encircled her head and now had a large rectangular bandage covering her stitches.

Penny walked over to her, "Alex let me help you with that."

Alex was a little surprised, "You sure?" she asked sheepishly

'Yes. I can get it done a lot quicker, so you just sit and relax." Penny said smiling and putting Alex at ease.

Alex had most of her makeup base on, so Penny just had to finish and do the highlights, however, Penny decided to have a little fun with Alex's eyes. When Penny was done, Alex turned to look in the mirror and was stunned, Penny had made her blue eyes stand out with the highlighting she put around them. Her eyes were now the prominent feature on her face, so much so that she didn't even notice the bandage, which she quickly understood that was the effect Penny had been trying to accomplish.

Alex looked at Penny, "Thank You."

"No problem, Sweetie." Penny responded with a smile.

Alex then got serious and looked down at her hands, "I sorry, Penny, I didn't…"

Penny didn't need to hear all that Alex wanted to say and she didn't want Alex to start crying, "Did you know we were getting back together?" Penny asked

Alex shook her head, "I thought you had broken up."

Penny could see that Alex was a good person, Leonard would never be real friends with a bitch, although Penny thought she herself came close, "Alex I do hate you a little because you went after Leonard," Penny said, that more quietly, "But I understand why you did."

Alex nodded, so Penny continued. "Alex, I just want you to remember one thing, I love Leonard and I will fight for him."

Alex looked at Penny, a sort of understanding passed between them, Alex nodded and Penny thought that she wasn't going to cry after all. Alex just said, "Ok."

Penny now nodded, "Well are you ready? I think we probably need to go, our chariot awaits." she said with a little smile.

"I just have to grab my coat and I'm ready." Alex responded.

Penny and Alex came back through the inter-room door and both smiled at the expression on Leonard's face when he saw them, "You two look gorgeous!" he said, getting a giggle from both of them.

They were at the door, just in time, as Dr Glauser pulled up in his car, with his wife in the front seat. Alex, Penny and Leonard squeezed into the back seat, all of them feeling like high school kids taking a ride with their parents. Mrs Glauser did not have much in the way of English speaking skills, but her and Alex had a nice conversation in French, with Alex repeating everything to Leonard and Penny so they wouldn't be left out of the discussion. During the conversation, Mrs Glauser said something to Alex, that made Alex blush when she responded back, but she never told Leonard and Penny what was said, however Dr Glauser immediately said something to his wife and she just nodded. Penny and Leonard just looked at each other in confusion for a second, because it seemed like the discussion was about them, but then they pulled up to the restaurant, so the moment passed.

As they walked into the restaurant, Leonard had a second with Dr Glauser, "What happened a minute ago, Alex seemed embarrassed, and it seemed like you were talking about us?"

Dr Glauser smiled and nodded. "My wife asked, with two such beautiful young women and a handsome young man, who is the girlfriend or are both girlfriends. I told her Penny was your girlfriend and Dr Jensen your associate."

'Poor Alex', Leonard thought, then noticed Dr Glauser looking at him with a worried face, so Leonard smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

The restaurant was beautiful, it was definitely a elegant place, with well dressed waiters, a small live quartet and beautiful décor. Every man it there was in a suit and a few in simple tuxedo's and there was even a small dance floor. Penny, Alex and Leonard immediately fell in love with the place. Several of the CERN directors were present to greet them, and to Leonard's pleasure, devoted a lot of their attention to Alex. As a matter of fact, Alex was the center of attention for everyone there, which made Leonard really pleased.

When everyone seemed to be satisfied with greeting them, Alex, Penny and Leonard walked over to their table to take their seats. Leonard pulled Penny's chair out, for her to sit and Penny gave him her most loving smile for her handsome boyfriend. Penny then saw the full wine glass at her seat and took a sip, as Leonard helped Alex into her seat.

Penny's eyes got wide, "This wine is wonderful. I have never had anything so good."

Dr Glauser chuckled, "It is a very good year, I think the Directors are trying to impress Dr Hofstadter and Dr Jensen."

Alex made a similar comment in French and Mrs Glauser nodded and smiled. Alex then looked at Dr Glauser, "Sir, thank you for the complement but I am not a PHD yet, I am a PHD candidate only and I still have to do a dissertation before I can even be considered."

"Well I think being a co-author to my project, will qualify as a dissertation, to the department, Alex, so a couple more course credits and you will be there." Leonard said with a wink. Alex just stared at him, her eyes wide in shock.

Dr Glauser smiled and nodded, "At our universities, I would think so too." then he told his wife all that was said, to which, she nodded and smiled.

Alex was giddy the rest of the night.

The pressed duck was delicious, Penny had duck before, but this dish was nothing like she had ever had in her life. The evening was magical, with the wonderful meal, with all its courses, the wine, the elegant company and Leonard. While they waited for desert, several people got up to dance, the music being the type where they could hold each other close and dance slowly. A young man, their age, came up to Alex and asked her to dance, which she readily agreed, and before she could reach the dance floor, Leonard turned to Penny to ask her to dance.

Penny felt like a princess, with her handsome prince dancing with her, she was so happy. She held Leonard tightly and quickly had her head buried into his shoulder, content as she could be.

"Leonard, you wanted to dance, but didn't want to, unless Alex did." Penny said softly into his ear.

"I didn't want to leave her at the table alone, while we danced in front of her." Leonard said as softly, "Are you mad?"

"No, that was a sweet thing to do, that is one of the reason I love you, you care." Penny was now done talking, she laid her head back on Leonard's shoulder, so she could just enjoy the moment. She felt the same rush now dancing with Leonard, this night, as when she danced with him in Las Vegas. The soft music relaxed her, Leonard's arms around her made her feel loved and secure, his cologne intoxicated her, she didn't want any of it to end.

Leonard and Penny danced another couple dances, then went to their seats to enjoy their desert, which Penny couldn't believe how good it tasted. Alex never came back to her seat that night, she spent the night at another table, with the young man she danced with, and a group of other scientists, about her age, laughing and having a great time. Leonard was so glad Alex was getting so much attention and they were not, because him and Penny were really enjoying their alone time together. They spent most of the time after desert either, talking quietly to each other, talking to Dr and Mrs Glauser or dancing, holding each other tight. They both felt it was a special night and were both disappointed when it started to end.

The ride home was quiet, everyone was a little tired, from the wine, the food and the dancing. Mrs Glauser was talking quietly to her husband and Alex was looking out the window, humming the melody to one of the pieces of music she had danced so much to. Penny had her hand, opposite Alex, entwined in Leonard's hand and down between their legs, her thumb rubbing the side of Leonard's leg. Penny and Leonard were not talking but every so often would look at each other, their looks saying more than a thousand words could have done.

They arrived and the Hostel and spend a good five minutes thanking Dr Glauser and his wife for the evening, the girls both giving Mrs Glauser big hugs. Dr Glauser insisted on picking them up for the airport the next morning, so they made their plans, then wished the Glausers a safe trip home. Once they reached their rooms, Alex thanked Leonard and Penny for a wonderful night and their friendship and went in her room. Once in their rooms Alex peeked in the inter-room door and said she would be, OK, and then closed and locked her side of the door, Leonard did the same.

Penny and Leonard then walked deeper into the room and when Leonard turned to say something to Penny, he was instantly cut short by her wrapping her arms around his neck and planting her lips on his. Penny had been real careful how much wine she had drunk that night, because she wanted to enjoy this night with Leonard, so she only drank enough to feel good, but not dull her senses. Penny pressed her body to his and her tongue brushed against his teeth pleading to enter, she wanted him, now. Their kiss went on and on, Penny stared to run her hands through the hair on the back of Leonard's head, then started to moan, as she ground her body into his.

Penny and Leonard kissed, their tongues exploring each other mouths with urgency, then Penny removed her arms from Leonard's neck and started to remove his tie. It was hard to get his tie undone with her mouth pressed against his, but she managed, then she went for his shirt buttons and after those were done she pushed his shirt and jacket off of him. Penny then removed his pants, and when she had them off, she kicked off her shoes and started to work on her own dress.

Leonard was very excited, this was just like the time Penny wanted him when he came back from the North Pole, only better. He was extremely turned on by how Penny was acting and her enthusiasm, she had already stripped his suit off him, while never letting her tongue stop its passionate play with his mouth. He felt her reach for the zipper on her dress, so being a gentleman, he reached back and unzipped it, feeling in fall to the floor, and them he felt himself pushed onto the bed. Penny was on top of him, she pulled away from his lips, to a more sitting position, grinding her hips into him and staring to moan, Leonard then opened his eyes to see his beautiful girlfriend. He was stunned to see her face, her eyes closed and obviously lost in passion, he was also stunned to see her wearing a Wonder Woman bra and panties, he was in awe of her.

Penny removed her bra then leaned down until her hard nipples touched Leonard's chest, slowing moved herself up to his lips. The feeling of her nipples running along his chest was incredible, but then when he took one into his mouth, she felt the spasms of an orgasm taking over her. She didn't really feel Leonard roll her over on her back, but she came back when he started to kiss her neck, in the spot that drove her wild. She could feel her lust building inside her again, she gasped, "Leonard", and thought 'I love you so much', she whimpered, "Oh My God," she thought 'I want to be with you forever,' she moaned, "Oh Leonard, don't stop", thinking 'Leonard my darling, I need you so much' her passion increasing, building to another climax, her mind barely controlling her thoughts, then she thought and said, 'I love you', "please marry me."

Leonard stopped, pulling his lips away from her neck and looked at her in shock, "Did you just propose to me!"


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

One moment Penny was in ecstasy, building to a second climatic event, the next she felt nothing, no Leonard, her eyes shot instantly open. Leonard was looking at her with confusion and shock on his face, why, what happened? Her mind raced, something was wrong, then he asked 'Did you just propose to me!' she thought 'Oh My God! I didn't!' She said what she was thinking out loud, she asked him to marry her, in the middle of sex! She wanted to say something to him, but the words wouldn't come out. She couldn't tell him it was a mistake, because that would be a lie, she did want to marry him, and she didn't want to lie to him now.

Leonard looked at her, he saw the confusion on her face when she opened her eyes, but now he saw the shock, as she realized what she had said. She was looking at him the same way as when she said she loved him, she was at a loss for words after that confession, too. He knew she had not meant to say it, like she had not meant to say 'You know I love you', and knowing it sort of hurt him a little. She just couldn't ever seem to come straight out with her feelings to him, it was always a mistake that things came out. Now she was at a loss for words, he was the one who had to say something next, he knew he needed to say something, but what?

Leonard decided maybe to just make a joke of it, was the best thing to do, because she didn't intend to say it, so why make it a big deal about, she really didn't mean it, "Penny, you know asking me to marry you during sex is not a real proposal. I have that from a qualified source."

"I was wrong." Penny quietly answered. She wanted him to know she wasn't going to take it back, just like when she told him the first time she loved him.

Leonard immediately became serious, this was a little too much for him to handle and he knew the way she was, it was all happening too fast. Besides Penny was different, she was very emotional, clingy, and needy, it seemed, while she been here, and he still wasn't sure why. On the surface, she seemed to feel more towards him than before, more like he felt about her, which he liked, but he couldn't understand her change or why it happened. Penny had never rushed into life changing things like this before, and he thought there is something that was pushing her this way, but he didn't know what. He didn't want her forced into something that she would later regret and would probably destroy their relationship.

Leonard took a deep breathe, "Penny, it's too soon and this is not the right time."

Penny was starting to feel bad, she thought 'He didn't want me? The sudden thought crossed her mind that she was going to get rejected by him, was he really going to refuse her? He didn't want to marry her now, she had finally pushed him too far, he was still her boyfriend but he didn't want to spend his life with her. But, in the back of her mind, 'that doesn't make sense, he has been acting like he wanted to be with her, what is happening?' She was confused and a little bit scared.

Leonard could see the hurt forming in her eyes, plus her eyes were getting moist, he knew he had to explain, so she understood. "Penny, we have been on an emotional roller coaster the last 48 hours. Also, Penny you are so emotional now, you are not really yourself, I love this emotional side of you, but I also want you to be relaxed and calm, sort of the old Penny, when you decide you to want to get married, not just the emotional Penny."

"Leonard, but…." Penny tried to say, but Leonard now put his finger to her lips.

"Penny we need to wait till things calm down between us, then we can decide what we want to do. I'm not going anywhere Penny, there is no hurry, please just relax and let things get back to normal between us. I promise you I will talk to you about this when things are back to normal between us, if you still want to." Leonard smiled at her

Penny was scared and shocked when she said it, then she had actually wanted him to say 'Yes', now she didn't know what to say. "Ok, Leonard." Penny finally said, then he pulled her close to him, she didn't resist, and when he laid down, she put her head on his chest. She didn't want him to see her face, she was doing her best not to let the tears flow, but she knew her eyes were wet with them.

Leonard moved his opposite hand to Penny's, which she immediately took and intertwined her fingers in his. His other hand went to her back to gently rub it, like he always did when she was upset. His touch always comforted her, he was the only one that could make her feel better by his touch. But now she didn't know what to think, saying she wanted to marry him was an accident, but when she stood to her statement, she thought he would be happy and agree. But he wasn't happy or unhappy, he just said they would talk about it later, when things were normal, where things not normal now? Had their relationship gotten so bad, that now that she knew he was the one, and was trying to be a better girlfriend, he thought something was wrong? She did it, she made him like this, her refusal to tell him she loved him and her refusal to let their relationship grow made him like this. She felt so selfish, everything she did was to her own needs, never thinking of his, she had to be better and she had to make him understand she was different. Penny decided she needed to win Leonard over to the way she was now, which made her finally relax, she knew what she had to do.

Leonard laid there with Penny's head on his chest, her breathing steadied before long and soon he could barely hear her gently snoring. She had fell asleep after only a few minutes, but he couldn't sleep, he couldn't help think that maybe he made a big mistake, by not jumping at the chance to marry her. Even though he knew better, his old fears came back to him, and he wondered what would happen when things were normal again between them. Would all the old commitment issues came up between them again and she decide she couldn't marry him or be with him anymore, he really didn't know, she seemed different, and now he didn't know what the future had in store for them.

Morning came quickly, and Leonard helped Penny pack for her trip home, which he could tell she was not too enthusiastic to take, but didn't complain. It took more time for Penny to get ready than to pack, she didn't really bring that much and her bag easily fit the new dress and shoes she had worn the night before. She was actually was ready early and sat on the bed with a little pout on her face, and a sort of pleading look in her eyes. Leonard sat beside her, took her hands and looked at her, trying to comfort her.

"Leonard, I don't want to leave." she said, at least it as a statement, not a request.

"I don't want you to leave either, but I want you at the acting job, first thing Monday morning. Penny promise me you will do your best next week and really give it everything for this chance. Please do it for me, I think you are a wonderful actress, so let everyone else out there know how good you are." Leonard slightly squeezed her hands and was now looking deep into her eyes.

"Ok Leonard. I will do that for you, I will do my best." She responded

Leonard smiled at her, a warm gentle smile. "Yes for me, and for you. You need to understand how good you are. You need to know if you are good enough to make it as a professional actress, if you don't, it will haunt you all your life. Please believe me, doing this is a good thing, a real good thing, it is good for you and me."

Penny nodded, them grabbed Leonard around the neck and hugged him again trying hard not to cry. They stayed in each others arms for a while, until they heard a knocking on their door and realized it was time to go.

Alex had been ready early, a little more enthusiasm present in her for going home, than had been in Penny and Leonard. She smiled at them, when they opened the door, to follow her to the Hostel front door, with Penny's bag, for their trip to the airport. They only had to wait a couple minutes for Dr Glauser to show up to drive them, but in those couple of minutes, Alex couldn't help notice the pain in both of their eyes. Alex watched them as they drove to the airport, thinking how she wished she would find someone in her future that would love her as much as she saw now in how Leonard loved Penny.

Dr Glauser pulled up to the curb so Penny, Alex and Leonard could get out, with the girls bags. Leonard turned to thank him, "Thank you, Dr Glauser, I want to stay till they leave, I can catch a cab back."

Dr Glauser smiled, "I'll stop by, at their airplane departure time, to pick you up." then he drove off.

Leonard thought what a good man he was, then turned to help the girls to check-in, carrying most of their bags. The check-in went very quickly and the security entrance was close to the counter, so they were ready with plenty time to spare. Leonard and Penny stopped a little ways form the security entrance, facing each other, their noses almost touching.

Alex looked back at them, a little pang of jealousy in her heart, "Penny, I'll meet you at the gate." Alex then continued through security to the gate.

Penny had nodded and mouthed 'Thanks' to Alex, then turned her head back to Leonard. She didn't want to let him go, even though she was the one leaving, it was one of hardest things she was ever going to do. She had been so happy with him the last two and a half days and she didn't want the happiness to end, he was her's again. She just wanted him to say something, say she didn't have to leave, she wanted some excuse to stay.

Leonard realized it was easier to find logical reasons she had to go back than to actually let her go. He was going to miss her, a lot, and he knew he would be incredibly lonely without her. But she had to go, she had to follow her dream, it would only be a week, he had to be strong for her and himself.

Penny and Leonard stood there holding each other's hands and looking into each other's eyes. Penny loved it that her and Leonard were about the same height, she could look directly in his eyes and their noses always touched, when they got close, plus the way she could hold him when they danced. They both seemed to know, at the same time, that they needed to kiss, because they pulled together at the same time and their lips naturally met. Penny wrapped her arms around Leonard neck and his arms went around her waist, with his right hand lightly rubbing her back. They kissed, the cat was definitely alive, they knew this was the last passionate kiss they would exchange for a while so they each tried to make it special for the other, while trying to lock in memory the feel of the others lips.

Finally, the kiss ended and Penny had to go, he went with her and held her hand until security would not let him go any farther, so he just stood and watched. Before Penny went through the metal detector, Leonard mouthed to her "I Love You' and she mouthed the same to him, then she passed through and was gone.

Once she lost sight of Leonard, the loneliness engulfed Penny, and it was all she could do to keep the tears from coming. She put her shoes and belt back on, grabbed her handbag, and looked around, knowing she needed to find her gate, but not really caring. She knew she had to go, she promised Leonard, but her heart didn't want to leave, nothing mattered to her but Leonard. She just stood there, until a nice security man asked her if she was lost, finally motivating her to find her gate.

Leonard waited for 20 minutes outside security, he didn't know why, he knew he wasn't going to see Penny again, but he couldn't help himself. He actually wished she changed her mind and would come running back to him, but he knew he was being selfish, and he really couldn't have it, it would be wrong. He finally walked away, back to the curb to wait for Dr Glauser to return.

Penny got to the gate and found Alex, sitting in a seat with an open one next to her, that she had saved for Penny. Penny wanted to be nice to Alex and talk, but the only thing she could think of was Leonard and she knew Alex didn't want to talk to her about him. They sat in silence for 30 minutes, before the boarding call for business class got them off their seats, to board the aircraft. Their seats were together and Alex had the window, but both seats were very nice and roomy, much better than the coach class she had flown in on. Penny relaxed and had a glass of wine, from the Stewardess, making small talk with Alex while the plane filled up.

The flight back from Europe was very uneventful and relatively quick for Penny. They were on a new wide body aircraft, where business class seats turned into sort of a bed for the travelers. Penny and Alex talked after take off and read magazines until the meal came, then ate and went to sleep. Penny didn't wake up until Alex shook her to tell her the plane was landing, so for Penny the flight seemed like it took only a little over an hour. The connecting flight to California seemed much longer, which only gave Penny time to think about Leonard, but eventually they got there. Penny and Alex, got their bags and were leaving baggage when Penny saw Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Amy waiting for her. Alex's friend Beverly was waiting for her, too, with a limo supplied from the university to take her home. Penny and Alex hugged, then went their separate ways.

As soon as Penny got out of baggage, her friends converged on her, with hugs and kisses. She thought they would be mad at her, but they were just happy she was back and safe, she felt so lucky to have such good friends. After all the greetings were over, Howard took Raj with him, and Penny drove her car with Amy and Bernadette with her, back to her apartment, to rejoin the guys.

"Sorry Sheldon didn't come, but….I don't know, you know how he is." Amy apologized

"Bestie, I know exactly how he is, don't let it bother you, I am so happy you both are here." Penny reassured her.

"Penny how are you doing and how was the trip?" Bernadette asked. Amy looked at Penny, obviously wanting to know that answer too.

Penny smiled at her friends, they were so concerned about her, she loved them both, "I'm better, no more than better, I'm good. Leonard and I are back together, and he is coming back in about a week, we are going resume where we were at before the break up."

"Is that what you want?" Bernadette asked

Penny thought about what Bernadette asked, she wanted to tell someone her feelings, she wanted to tell her best friends, "No, I didn't want to leave him. I feel so lonely without him, I need him, I left because he made me promise to do that acting job this coming week." Penny took a breathe, now that she started telling them, she couldn't stop, "I Love him so much, I can't imagine being without him anymore, I want to marry him."

Bernadette and Amy stared at Penny in shock, unable to say anything, after what she had just confessed to them. They drove on in silence for a couple minutes, Penny at the wheel staring straight ahead, her eyes wet.

"Penny does Leonard know this?" Bernadette finally asked

"I don't know, I don't know. I asked him to marry me, last night." Penny choked out

For the second time in the last ten minutes, Bernadette and Amy looked at each other and Penny in shock. They could see Penny was getting upset and were afraid to say anything that would make it worse, but.

"Penny, what did Leonard say." Amy asked cautiously

"He said we would talk about it when he came back." Penny answered

"That is strange for Leonard to say. He has asked you to marry him a couple of times, why would he want to wait now?" Bernadette asked Penny

"He said everything was too crazy now, with me coming there, with Alex getting hurt, and he said I am too emotional now." Penny now was crying.

"Penny pull over!" Bernadette didn't ask, she commanded.

Penny pulled over and the girls got her in the back seat next to Amy, Bernadette took over the driving. Penny laid her head on Amy's shoulder, she still had tears running from her eyes. Amy tried to comfort her by rubbing her back and Bernadette drove, trying to think what to say next. After a few minutes, Penny seemed to settle down.

Bernadette decided to change the subject for a few minutes to get Penny to relax, "Penny did you say Alex got hurt? We saw her, she had a bandage on her forehead, is she OK? Is that why she came back with you?" Bernadette had no idea what had happened with Alex, otherwise she would have never mentioned her now.

Penny started to sniffle again, "Alex told Leonard she loves him." Penny was tearing up again.

Bernadette was stunned and she could see in the rearview mirror that Amy was wide eyed, Bernadette thought, 'What the hell happened in Switzerland!'

Bernadette was afraid to ask her the next question, but she needed to know how bad it was, if she was to help Penny, "Penny, what did Leonard do?" she asked softly. Bernadette could see the worried look on Amy's face in the rearview mirror.

"He told her he loved me." Penny said quietly, "I almost lost him. Alex is so nice and smart and beautiful, and I almost lost him to her." tears were rolling down Penny's cheeks.

Amy was a little bit relieved, she had been scared of what Penny was going to answer, "But Penny, you didn't lose him." Amy tried to sound as sympathetic as she could.

"I know, but now I'm afraid to be away from him. Amy, I love him so much. I just can't see my life without him anymore." Penny confessed to Amy

Bernadette felt sorry for Penny, she had finally realized she really loved Leonard and now that she knew, she was terrified of loosing him. Leonard being half way around the world wasn't helping the way she felt either. Bernadette knew Leonard loved Penny, so they were on the same page now, but could they work it out and not screw it up, she didn't know. She never knew two people who obviously belonged to be with each other, so much, but they seemed to never be able to close the deal.

Penny seemed to calming down again, "Penny, Leonard is coming back to you in about week, and he loves you. Things will be Ok, he is probably just a little confused right now. He has a lot on his mind, you did sort of drop on him from out of nowhere, and gave him a lot to think about. Also, Howard says his experiment is a bit of a big success and that has to be on his mind too. And you said Alex got hurt, how?" Bernadette asked, a little worried about bringing up Alex again.

"After I got there, Leonard spent all his time with me, so Alex was left alone. She got mugged, walking to just get something to eat. She was really lucky, all they did was cut her head, so she needed stitches, it could have been worse. Leonard blamed himself, but it was my fault, I caused him pain again. What is wrong with me, I always hurt him and now I got Alex hurt." Penny then got quiet.

Bernadette was again at a loss for words, how could she tell Penny that it wasn't her fault. Penny had hurt Leonard many times before, and Bernadette just wanted to yell at her sometimes, Leonard didn't deserve most of it. But she had to say something, because Penny was her friend, and she knew Leonard would want Bernadette to lie, if she had to, to help Penny emotionally.

"Penny you can't beat yourself up over this. Leonard doesn't blame you and I bet Alex doesn't either, do they?" Bernadette tried to reason with her

"No, they are both too nice to blame me. They are not like me, they don't see the bad in people." Penny answered

"Penny if you were bad, Leonard wouldn't love you. You know that, would Leonard want or love a bad person?" Bernadette said to her while looking in the rearview mirror.

"No, but why does he love me? I know why I love him, he's perfect. I'm so happy around him and he has everything I could want in a man. He is the complete package." Penny said

"Because you're his soul mate. He is always telling you, you are perfect. It is crazy, but you two belong together, you complete each other. Leonard can't see his life without you, either. Penny it has never been how smart or pretty you are, Leonard loves you for what you are inside. Howard tells me everything, Leonard adores you, you make him happy." Bernadette looked in the rearview mirror at Penny

Penny just sat there, she wasn't crying, she was lost deep in thought. Amy continued to hold her and rub her back, scared to say anything, until Penny spoke. Finally Penny looked at Amy and Bernadette, "Thank you, guys." The rest of the trip to Penny's apartment was done in silence, all three girls lost in their own thoughts.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The girls hung out with Penny in her apartment for about an hour, while the guys got food. Penny gave them more details about the trip, is wasn't so hard on her now, she was actually excited to talk about it. Penny talked a lot about the Friday night dinner and dancing, Amy and Bernadette could tell she had a wonderful time being with Leonard. As she told them how her and Leonard danced together, most of the night, she got a sort of whimsical look, that made Amy and Bernadette smile.

"Penny, I never knew you liked fancy dinner nightclubs." Amy said

Penny stood there thinking for a minute, "Neither did I, but I do, we had so much fun."

Bernadette smiled, "You think it was more the company than the club?"

Penny chuckled, "Definitely the company. Leonard was so hot in that suit." Penny got quiet and smiled picturing him at the party and after.

Bernadette and Amy laughed at Penny.

"What?" Penny said looking confused

"I think somebody is having some very lusty dreams about a certain experimental physicist." Bernadette said, her and Amy then giggled.

"Stop that! but yeah you're right." Penny started to giggle with them

The girls went over to Sheldon's apartment about 30 minutes later, and for the first time Penny really felt like she belonged there. She was Leonard's girlfriend again and it didn't seem awkward to be there, eating with her friends.

"So Penny, how was Switzerland?" Howard asked.

"Well I wasn't there long enough to see much, but the food is good and the people are nice. Oh Yeah, the Supercollider is awesome." Penny told him.

"YOU SAW THE SUPERCOLLIDER!" Sheldon blurted out in surprise

"Oh yes, I took a private tour and everything." Penny told Sheldon

Sheldon's lower lip began to tremble, "I have been waiting years to see the Large Hadron Collider, and they send Leonard to do his meaningless experiment. Then when a waitress, from the Cheesecake Factory, goes on a wild sex romp with him, they treat her to a private tour of the Supercollider. What is wrong with this world!" Sheldon's voice got louder with each word, till at the last sentence he was almost shouting.

Amy and Bernadette were shocked at his outburst, "Sheldon!" they both shouted.

"Its not fair, why does she go and get a tour and not me. Not me! of all people!" Sheldon was now very upset

"Sheldon, you get a grip, before you say something you're going to regret." Amy told him.

"Regret, I regret nothing. Penny scared us to death when she took off. You were all crying and getting upset, she disrupted two whole days for me and now I find out she was touring the Supercollider and having fun with her boy toy, Leonard." Sheldon said in disgust.

Penny's eyes were filling up with tears, "I'm sorry." she said so quietly and ran out of the room to her apartment.

Bernadette ran after her and Amy got up to leave too, picking up Bernadette and Penny's food. "Sheldon, what is wrong with you?" Amy asked him seriously

"Nothing, I was just stating what was on everyone's mind." Sheldon said arrogantly

Amy shook her head, took the food and went out the door to Penny's apartment.

As soon as Amy was out the door, Raj looked at Sheldon in disgust, "Dude, nobody was thinking that, except you. We were all happy to be back together again. You got serious problems Sheldon."

"Yeah, and I am going to have a seriously upset wife to deal with again tonight, thanks PAL." Howard said while shaking his head.

"Well I don't know what you two are all upset about, I'm the one who was put out during this." Sheldon told them. Raj and Howard looked at each other, shaking their heads.

Bernadette walked through Penny's apartment door, not seeing her, but hearing a muffled crying in her bedroom. Upon entering, Bernadette found Penny on her bed, in a fetal position around one of her pillows, her face buried in that pillow crying. Bernadette sat down besides her and started to rub her back, which seemed to help, because Penny pulled her face out of the pillow.

"Bernadette, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you all." Penny said between her tears.

"Penny we know, that is why we didn't say anything about it when we met you and drove you home. We know you didn't mean to hurt anyone. Sheldon is just an ass, you know that." Bernadette explained to her.

"Bernadette have I been too emotional?" Penny asked

Bernadette was a little stunned at the question, she had to think for a minute, "You have been a little more emotional since we came back from Las Vegas. Do you know why?" Bernadette asked, not really knowing where Penny was going with this conversation.

"No, I don't know, but everything seems more real lately and the bad things really hurt. I can't believe how they hurt. I told you I asked Leonard to marry me, and he said I was too emotional now, but he also said we needed to wait till I was more like I was, old Penny." Penny told her. Penny was not crying now, but her voice sounded very sad.

"Old Penny? Why Old Penny?" Bernadette asked

"That is what worries me. I don't know if I can be Old Penny anymore." Penny said sadly. "I don't know who Old Penny is anymore. If Old Penny is the Penny who use to hurt him, all the time, I can't be that person anymore."

Bernadette sat there trying to think of something that would make Penny feel better, but was not finding any words that she thought would help. She saw a change in Penny, Leonard saw a change in Penny, Penny was understanding she was changing, but no one knew why. Was her change because her love for Leonard had changed or was it something else?

"Penny, you guys didn't really spend a lot of time together. What you need to do is get back together, when Leonard comes back, get comfortable and talk. That is all you can do, trying to figure it out now is probably not going to work, without Leonard here to help."

Penny laid there quietly and Bernadette could see she was thinking. That had to be a good sign, she wasn't crying anymore, she seemed to be able to recover from her emotional attacks quicker now, so maybe Old Penny was coming back.

"Penny, Bernadette?" Amy said loudly, not even sure they were there.

"One minute Amy." Bernadette shouted to Amy and then to Penny, "Better now?"

"Yes, some. Give me a couple minutes?" Penny asked

"Ok, I'll be with Amy in your living room, when you are ready." Bernadette told Penny, Penny nodded so Bernadette got up to go see Amy in the next room.

As soon as Amy saw Bernadette, "Is she alright?" she asked

"I think so, she said she'll be out in a minute." Bernadette answered

"I brought the food, so we can eat here. I'm really sorry about Sheldon." Amy started to apologize for him.

"Don't worry Amy, no one blames you for Sheldon. He is just Sheldon, however sometimes I would like to stuff a sock in his mouth." Bernadette said with a little chuckle.

"I know." Amy simply answered

Amy and Bernadette sat down on Penny's couch and started to pick at their food, both not really into eating, just yet, they were waiting for Penny. A couple minutes later they heard Penny's toilet flush and her sink, then Penny came out from her sanctuary of the bedroom.

"Sorry guys, I'm a mess." Penny explained while sitting in her chair.

"Penny, I would never tell you not to run off to another country to see the man you love, that is so romantic by the way, but please let us know before you do?" Amy said

"Ames, I won't promise not to run off again, but I will tell you all, the next time, I promise." Penny answered

Bernadette gave Penny an inquisitive look, "Penny you are not thinking of running back to Switzerland tomorrow?" Bernadette asked, then she saw Penny look at her shoes, to hide her face and Bernadette got concerned, "Penny!" Penny finally looked at her and Bernadette just knew she had been thinking about something, if not that.

"I promise, I won't run back to Switzerland, besides I promised Leonard I would do that pilot this week." Penny answered sadly.

They all sat there quietly for a couple of minutes. Amy was really surprised at the last exchange between Bernadette and Penny, she never thought that Penny might do it again.

Finally Penny slowly got up and went to the refrigerator.

"I'm really thirsty, does anyone want anything?" Penny asked and received 'Water' from both girls, in unison.

After sitting down again and handing out the waters, Penny looked at the food Amy had brought over, "I can't believe it, but I am actually still hungry." Penny said, then reached over to grab her box of Thai food. The girls used that as the signal for them to resume eating too.

Five minutes later, the girls heard knocking on Penny's door, and it wasn't Sheldon. "Bernadette?" they could heard said, not too loudly, it was Howard.

"Come in Howie." Bernadette said loudly

Howard and Raj came through the apartment door, their food and drinks in hand, Raj of course with a beer, "Can we eat with you, the mood across the hall is sort of ….well you know." Howard said

"The place is full of bad Karma." Raj Added

"Sure guys, grab a spot." Penny told them

The next twenty minutes became more relaxed for Penny, with everybody starting to talk again and even a few laughs. As Penny listen to her friends talk about their work, projects and experiments, she realized that more and more she knew what they were talking about, not the deep science but in the general stuff and she found herself able to contribute to the conversations. This didn't happen suddenly, but she was noticing it more since her and Leonard had gotten back together. Her friends were rubbing of on her, it was true, if you hung around smart people, you got smarter, no wonder she couldn't relate to dumb guys anymore.

Howard had described a problem he was having in logistics for a project he was doing, and Penny became very interested. His parts were not coming in at the proper time when he needed them for the equipment he was building. As Penny listened, she remembered a similar situation they had with getting supplies at the Cheesecake Factory and she was trying to remember what they had done. Howard finished his little rant, about his project, and everyone one gave him sympathetic encouragement and told him they hoped everything would work out.

"Howard, you know you could probably set up a master schedule, then for each identified milestone, you could project ahead, when you needed to accomplish your tasks to meet that milestone, then schedule the parts to be delivered some lead time away to meet each one of those tasks." Penny said to him

Silence. Everyone one of her friends, were looking at her with their mouths opened. Penny looked at them and after a few seconds she got to be very self conscious, what did she do wrong. "What?" Penny said softly to them all.

Howard was the first to talk, "Penny that was brilliant! I have been very sloppy in putting together my project plans, making a master schedule, like you suggested, would work out great. I have software that would allow me to do that and it can also send out automatic emails to the suppliers to confirm order and delivery information. This could really work. Thank You." Howard said to her with a detectable hint of awe.

"Penny where did you learn that." Amy asked her.

"We had something similar happen at work and I thought maybe the solution would apply to Howard's problem." Penny said, then taking a bite of Thai food.

"That was excellent inductive reasoning Penny." Bernadette said to her

"I don't understand." Penny said, but she found herself interested.

"You knew that a master schedule worked to solve a problem at work, this is a small set of examples, but based on that, you reasoned that it would also solve Howard's problem." Amy explained

"So you're saying that since I only knew of one case of it working and then suggested in as Howard's solution, I was lucky." Penny said feeling dumb

"No Penny, inductive reasoning does not always result in the right answer, especially when few examples are used, but in your case your example was so strong it was the right answer, it wasn't luck. You picked a very strong example which was the correct answer. Like Howard said it was brilliant." Amy smiled at Penny and gave her a nod.

Amy then got an idea, "Penny could you take a test for me?"

Penny gave her a suspicious look, "You don't want to hook electrical leads to my head again, do you?"

"No, No, this is just a test that you fill in with a pencil." Amy said.

"I don't know, I don't do well on tests." Penny wasn't too enthused

Bernadette was watching the exchange between Amy and Penny, and it finally dawned on her what Amy wanted to do, she wanted to give Penny an IQ test. Bernadette caught Amy's eye and nodded to her and smiled.

"Penny, it is not the same kind of test you are thinking of, it might even be fun." Bernadette added.

Penny looked at both her friends, they both seemed to want her to do it "OK."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Penny and her friends continued to chat and kid with each other, after all their food was gone. Penny loved being around all her friends, but kept noticing Amy taking looks at Penny's apartment front door with a worried expression on her face.

"Amy, Sweetie, no one will care if you go over and see Sheldon." Penny told her. Everybody stopped talking and looked at Amy.

Amy was a little taken by surprise, "No that's OK. I was just wondering if he was feeling alone." she said sadly, but she could see everybody giving her sympathetic looks.

"Amy, of course you were, he is your boyfriend." Bernadette said to her, in a way of encouragement.

Amy looked down at her hands for a few seconds, "I just want to check to see that he is OK. I'll be right back." Amy then stood up.

"Honey, take all the time you need. Hell Amy, you will have him there all alone, go for it, girl." Penny added with a sly smile.

Amy blushed, "Thank you." Amy then opened Penny's apartment door and went across the hall.

Bernadette was thinking it was getting late and that they probably needed to go, but she didn't really like leaving Penny alone, especially right now. The short conversation they had between them earlier, Bernadette bringing up about going back to Switzerland, also still stuck in her head. Bernadette loved Penny, but right now she didn't trust Penny's choices.

"Penny, you want to come over and spend the night at my place tonight?" Bernadette asked, while thinking of what to say next, in case she said 'No'.

Penny thought for a minute, she really liked being around her friends right now, and the though of them leaving and her being in empty apartment tonight, didn't really appeal to her at this moment. "Yes, I would, if it isn't a bother." Penny answered

Bernadette was actually relieved, "No bother at all, why don't you get your stuff together and we'll clean up."

Howard was actually relieved too, because he knew having Penny close, so Bernadette could mother her, was going to keep Bernadette happy. Howard also knew when the wife was happy the whole household was happy, meaning him. Howard tried not to smile too much as he helped Bernadette clean up, it was bad enough that couldn't help from whistling, and Bernadette kept looking at him in a curious manner. This night had went from a disaster, after Sheldon imploded, to something now he could enjoy, Howard was happy.

Dr Sheldon Cooper had been actually feeling loneliness, a few minutes after everyone had left, to go after Penny. He still couldn't understand why everyone felt she needed comforting, when she had been the reason for everyone's grief, the previous few days. They should have been comforting him, after all wasn't he worried about Penny before, too and wasn't it him who didn't get to go to Switzerland. What is wrong with everyone, he thought.

When Amy walked back into the apartment, Sheldon was actually happy someone came back and doubly happy it was Amy. He gave her a very small Sheldon smile and he didn't even realize it when he instinctively moved his right arm to the chair back, signaling by his body motion, he wanted her to sit next to him. As she sat down, he hoped she sat close enough so that their thighs touched, but she sat squarely in her seat, obviously a little upset with him. Although he expected her to be mad at him, Sheldon hoped that no one else planned to come back to his apartment tonight, especially Penny.

For some reason, he couldn't understand, Sheldon did not want to fight with Amy, "I'm sorry, Amy." he said to her, trying to prevent a confrontation.

His 'I'm sorry.' had actually worked because Amy was now put off the verbal lashing she had planned for him. She rethought her words and decided to take this apology as a good sign. "Sheldon, you should go over and tell Penny that."

"I'm not sorry about what I said to Penny. I'm sorry that I hurt you, in some way." Sheldon quietly responded.

Amy was now even more confused, she looked at him, feeling her eyes get wet. Why was she crying, why did he have to say something nice to her and make her cry. "Sheldon…" nothing else would come from her mouth.

Sheldon, saw Amy's eyes tear up and thought he said something wrong again. He was actually feeling bad that he was making her cry and he didn't know were the feelings were coming from, but he had to figure a way to fix it. Sheldon did the only thing, his mind could come up, with in the few seconds that he felt he had to fix the situation, Sheldon Cooper kissed Amy Farrah Fowler.

Amy zoned out as soon as she felt Sheldon's warm, soft, moist lips on her own, she thought she was dreaming. The kiss was long, in the couple of seconds it took Amy to come back to reality, Sheldon's lips had never left hers. She brought her arms up and put them around Sheldon's neck and pulled herself closer, and he let her! Amy couldn't believe this was happening and she started to run her fingers through his short hair on the back of his head, lost in the kiss.

Sheldon, hated to admit it, but the last week had been hard on him, he had worried about Penny and it killed him to see how Amy was so upset. Her starting to cry tonight had actually hurt his heart, which confused him, but drove him to do something about it. He decided to kiss her as long as Amy needed to feel better, so he was not going to stop until she had enough. It had almost been too much for him when she put her arms around his neck, and he was proud of himself from controlling himself from flinching. However, when she started to play with the hair on the back of his head, it felt…GOOD! It felt so good, her lips felt good, her body close to him felt good, what it the hell was happening!

Amy felt a very slight tensing of him and figured she had taken advantage of the situation too much already. She pulled back from him and removed her arms from around his neck. As she pulled away, she opened her eyes to look into his and saw disappointment? She didn't understand, did Sheldon just enjoy their kiss, something inside her needed to know.

"Sheldon, thank you, that makes me feel better. That was very kind of you to do that for me." Amy looked at him hoping for some kind of response that would tell her what just happened, because she wanted to know, so she could make it happen again.

"Amy, you are my girlfriend, and as the relationship agreement states, it is my responsibility to try and make you happy when you are sad." he said, matter-of-factly.

"But Sheldon you never did that before!" Amy said a little louder that she had planned. She got a little worried and bit her lip.

Sheldon heard her, but his eyes were locked are her biting her lip, he was feeling a rush of endorphins and he was breathing a little harder. Her lips looked so…inviting, he was remembering how soft and warm they were a few minutes ago, what was wrong with him, he thought. He was trying to reason it out logically, she was probably still a little upset so kissing her again would be a good thing, she had never really passed any germs to him before and she was as clean as him, plus he liked it, her lips, her fingers in his hair. There was only one logical answer, Sheldon leaned over and kissed Amy again, this time putting his arms around her waist to pull her closer.

Penny, Bernadette, Howard and Raj were leaving Penny's apartment when Howard told them he would pop over to Sheldon's apartment to tell them, they were leaving. He got close to the door, then stopped just before he knocked, "Wow, it sure is quiet in there." Howard said.

Penny and Bernadette both softly said 'NO!' to Howard while waving their arms at him. Howard stopped himself from knocking and looked at them confused, them his face changed as he understood and walked back to them.

"Who would thought, Sheldon's in there doing the nasty." Howard said with a smirk

Penny looked at Bernadette with a 'That's Howard' look then said, "I'll just put a note on my door for Amy, to let her know where I went." She then ducked into her apartment to get paper and pen.

Bernadette looked at Howard, "Howie, they are not doing the nasty, but they could be cuddling, maybe even kissing."

Raj and Howard looked at each other and said, "Ew."

Penny was writing the note, against the door, when hearing Raj and Howard, making her look at them, "Are you saying kissing Amy is yucky?" with a little more anger than she intended.

"No, we are just feeling sorry for Amy." Raj stated and Howard nodded.

Penny immediately calmed down, and taped the note to the door, "Oh, well don't feel sorry for her, if Sheldon is cuddling her or kissing her, she is probably very happy. Besides you know for every nerdy guy there is a pretty girl out there, don't you Howard." Penny said giving Bernadette a wink, to which Bernadette giggled.

Howard got serious, "Yeah right. Lets go." he was a little miffed that Penny had gotten the better of him by comparing him to Sheldon. As they walked down the stairs, Howard turned to Penny, "I'll have you know I have never shirked any of my boyfriend responsibilities when Bernie and I were dating." obviously a little hurt at Penny's previous statement.

Bernadette felt a little sorry for him, he had been very good the last couple of weeks, "Penny he is right, he was very good." Bernadette said seductively. "And he has been so good, he will probably have to complete husband responsibilities tonight." she said looking at him and winking. Howard had now become very happy again and Penny was barely able not to laugh. Raj looked at them all confused.

Penny was reading her script, sitting in bed in Bernadette's spare bedroom, and she was now starting to get tired. They all had gotten ready for bed, a couple of hours ago, and Penny thought she would read the script until she got tired. She knew she would stay up thinking of Leonard, if she wasn't tired enough to sleep, so reading the script was basically killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. However, now she was sleepy, so she laid down the script, turned out the light and was asleep in a few minutes.

Penny found herself on the dance floor, swaying gently to the music, her head buried into her partner's shoulder. Her partner was dressed in a very formal tuxedo, she was in a beautiful gown, and she knew she was dancing with Leonard, because of her fingers running through his hair and the feel of him. She knew all eyes were on them because she had the most handsome man there, and the girls were so jealous because it was obvious that Leonard was madly in love with her. The men were afraid to even come near them because Leonard was so much in command of everything around him and it was also obvious she was his. Leonard started to kiss her neck and suddenly they were alone, as he gently placed kisses on the spot of her neck that drove her wild. She, in turn, grabbed his ear lobe in her mouth and very gently nibbled on it, while whispering his name, all the time, her hand on the back of his head pushing him deeper into her shoulder. She didn't know how or care, because now she was in bed with him, wearing her thin top and shorts, practically on top of him, while he only wore his boxers. She felt their bodies rubbing together and she was getting more and more aroused with each second, each moment more intense. She felt her climax building, then her eyes shot open, where was she, where was Leonard? She had her arms wrapped around a pillow, her legs too, what was happening. She laid there and finally realized she was in Bernadette's guest room and Leonard was in Switzerland. She also realized she had a death grip on the pillow she had her arms and legs around and she was a little embarrassed when she fully understood why.

Once or twice she had dreamed about a boyfriend, but never like this, she was hot and sweaty and 'Oh God,' very much aroused down there. She really wanted to feel silly about feeling this way, but she couldn't help it, she wanted Leonard. Two to three days with him were not enough, why did she have to wait a week to see him again? The thought that she still had plenty of money to go back, crossed her mind, but thankfully she realized how crazy that was, so forced it out. She laid there, feeling alone, missing Leonard, when she had an idea, she remembered where he was staying and even the phone number on his phone, for some reason. She really didn't care if it was going to be expensive, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed the operator.

Leonard was laying on his bed, at 1 PM in the afternoon, resting from working on his report the last two hours on his laptop. He was really surprised he had got so much done, because yesterday he wasn't even able to get out of bed the whole day. Dr Glauser, had picked him up from the airport and took him to eat, but after that Leonard had spent the rest of the day in bed by himself, even turning down Dr Glauser's offer to take him to dinner. He felt so alone on Saturday, he hadn't realized how Alex had kept the loneliness away from him the previous weeks till now. But now that Alex was gone, it was there, he missed Penny, a lot, even though she was now his girlfriend again, the separation really bothered him. Two to three days hadn't been enough, he really began to think if he had made a mistake letting her go, the logic of it going around in his head all of Saturday. Now that it was Sunday, he was more accepting of his situation, and he felt he did the right thing, but he still didn't like it. Leonard was still deep in thought, when his room phone rang, shocking him back to reality.

"Hello, Dr Hofstadter here." Leonard answered cautiously, not understand who would call him.

"Leonard?" Penny asked.

"Penny! It's, It's….after four in the morning there. Why are you still awake?" He asked, really confused now.

"Leonard, I couldn't sleep, I miss you." Penny said sadly to him.

What could Leonard say, he missed her too, hell, she was safe back home, so what if it is late there, if she wants to talk, what is so bad, he wants to talk to her too, "I miss you too." he told her

Penny smiled and talked to him for the next 30 minutes, about her trip home, last night with their friends and about her acting job on Monday. The problem was none of this talking to Leonard was making her tired, instead it was making her more awake. She wanted to talk about their relationship with him, but then she didn't, because she wanted to see his face when she talked to him, and she was very scared she would say something wrong over the phone. She was still wondering if he wanted to marry her, and she wanted so desperately to know, but she couldn't talk about it over the phone. So no relationship stuff, she thought, but she still wanted to talk to him, then a wicked grin crossed her face.

Penny knew Leonard was always a little jealous how close she had been with Mike, and even felt a little inferior to Mike. She had always tried to let Leonard know he was better than Mike, so much better, but she knew, even though he would never mention him, he would always remember him. Mike's blog on where him and Penny had sex was one of those things that could never be erased and it was one of those things that Leonard would always remember, but would probably never bring up again to her. She had always planned to give Leonard a list of his own, better that Mike's, because she loved him and she didn't want feeling inferior to Mike, ever. Well Mike and her had never had telephone sex, ever.

"Leonard, I had a dream tonight, that woke me up." Penny started.

"Oh, not a bad dream I hope." Leonard answered.

"Well it started out, you and me were dancing…" Penny told Leonard about her dream.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

It was almost an hour later that Penny finally hung up and now she was physically drained and tired as she looked at the alarm clock showing 6 AM. She was laying on her back, completely nude, a little sweaty and still having small contractions from her orgasm, which Leonard had manipulated her to. Having phone sex had been awkward at first, but then they both had gotten into it and it became 'WOW'. That was the only way she could describe it, 'WOW', Leonard was amazing. They had told each other how to undress and then how to pleasure themselves and she couldn't believe how fast she had gotten aroused. Leonard's voice over the phone had gotten so sexy and sensual that sometimes she imagined he was next to her whispering in her ear. Leonard knew the spots that turned her on, that was why he was such a good lover, and he had her hit every one of those spots while he directed how she was to pleasure herself. Leonard had also told her a couple of additional spots to explore, which greatly excited her, also making her wonder now if he was on his laptop using Google for ideas, while he was talking to her on the phone. Anyway it had been a very intimate experience between them, and she was wore out, happy, but wore out, so she found her pajamas to put on, grabbed her substitute Leonard pillow, got under the covers and was asleep a minute later.

Leonard was laying in bed on his back too, tired and with the biggest smile on his face. He was thinking about what an unbelievable girlfriend he had, he still couldn't believe it had been entirely her idea. Leonard had tried to have telephone-web sex with Priya before, even one time making it to completion, but it was never like this, he even thought, while having it with Priya, that telephone sex was overrated, boy he was wrong. Penny was amazing, her voice over the phone got so seductive, you could just hear the lust in it, and when she was doing what he told her to do, her moans were real, he could tell, making him excited all over again. He couldn't help himself, he just continued to lay there with that big goofy grin on his face, knowing later he would miss holding her, like he always did after sex, but at least right now he was happy.

Penny woke up at about 10 AM, Sunday morning, still a little tired, but she felt happy. She came out of the bedroom, in her pajamas and robe, to find Bernadette it the kitchen area, still in her pajamas and robe.

"Coffee?" Bernadette asked.

"Yes, please. Did Howard leave already." Penny asked

Bernadette gave Penny a mug of coffee, "No Howie is still resting from last night. He was up for a while, three whiles." Bernadette giggled.

Penny almost spit out her coffee when Bernadette said 'three whiles', "Aren't you tired?" Penny asked, an inquisitive look on her face.

Bernadette giggled, "Don't get me wrong, Howard is very good in the sack, he has learned a lot since we got married, and he was very good, twice last night, but I just have more stamina than him."

Penny couldn't hold it in any longer, she burst out laughing and Bernadette joined in. It took a couple of minutes before they could stop laughing but eventually they were able to talk again.

"So Penny how did things work out for you and Leonard in Switzerland, everything good?" Bernadette asked while looking at Penny, a mischievous grin on her face.

"We didn't really have sex while I was there, we almost did, but things happened." Penny said a little sadly

"Oh, do you want to talk about it?" Bernadette said while taking a seat at the table across from Penny.

"Well, the first night we were both wore out, so just went to bed and cuddled, the second night Alex got hurt, so neither of us thought about sex, and the third night we were in the middle of it, then I asked him to marry me, so it sort of killed the mood." Penny told her.

Bernadette looked at Penny, "Wow!"

"Yeah, I know, but at least I made it up to him last night." Penny said, then thought 'Oh Crap'

"Huh", Bernadette said looking at Penny, really confused.

"Please, don't get mad at me. But I woke up in the middle of the night, missing him, so I called him, to talk, on my cell phone." Penny started to explain

"Oh, that is a lot better than running off to see him, which is a good thing, so why would I get mad?" Bernadette was still confused

Penny took a deep breathe, "Well because, I got a little horny, and I had telephone sex in your guest bedroom with him." Penny said while trying to look apologetic

Bernadette looked at Penny, at first dumbfounded, then she started to giggle, then they were both laughing out loud. Howard came out of the bedroom with a confused expression, at seeing his wife and Penny laughing so hard.

"What's so funny." Howard asked

Bernadette and Penny then started to laugh even more at Howard's question. Howard stood there a minute, then finally realized he wasn't going to get an answer, so walked back into his bedroom, shaking his head.

Ten minutes later, Penny and Bernadette calmed down enough to function, however sometimes they would giggle when they looked at each other. Howard came out in his paintball uniform, because Sunday was paintball day and him, Raj and Sheldon had a match that day with some other people from the Geology department. Plus Leslie Winkle was filling in for Leonard and she was a better shot than Leonard, so their hopes were high for a win, as long as Sheldon and Leslie could keep from shooting each other.

Amy called about 11:30 AM and Bernadette invited her over for lunch with her and Penny. Amy seemed very excited and the girls knew she had something to tell them about the night before. Penny and Bernadette got dressed and Penny was now sitting on the couch reading her script, while Bernadette was baking cookies, when Amy finally arrived a little after noon. The girls were a little, no a lot, interested what happen between her and Sheldon last night.

"Hi Amy, so what is new?" Penny said sweetly

"Oh, not much, I am hungry though." Amy responded trying to sound bashful

"No food, until you tell us what happened between you and Sheldon, last night." Bernadette said with mock anger. Penny giggled.

Amy sighed, "OK, OK, but I want a sandwich and a drink while I talk." Amy responded

Bernadette had sandwiches and drinks on the table, so the girls each grabbed a seat. Amy took a sandwich then took a bite.

Penny waited till she swallowed and took a drink, "Alright spill it Amy."

"Yeah" Bernadette added, while her and Penny looked at Amy

"Well I went over there, and Sheldon made room for me to sit next to him. So we were talking and he said he was sorry, so I told him he needed to say it to you. Well, I'm really sorry Penny, but he said he wasn't sorry about what he said to you, he said he was sorry that I was upset." Amy stopped, her eyes a little watery

"Ames, don't worry about it, I lived across from him almost six years, he is just being Sheldon." Penny said to try and comfort Amy

"Well, I was about to cry, so Sheldon kissed me." Amy told them.

"He did, that is sort of sweet." Bernadette said

"He really kissed me." Amy added

"What do you mean?" Penny was now really curious

"It went on for a real long time, I put my arms around him and was running my fingers through the hair on the back of his head, and he still was kissing me." Amy told them

Penny and Bernadette looked at each other and then Amy, "Really, Sheldon. He didn't care that you were touching him." Bernadette said incredulously

Amy nodded, "I felt him tense a little, after a while, so I let him go, then I thanked him for being considerate of my feelings. He said he was my boyfriend and that was his job."

"That sounds like Sheldon." Penny said sarcastically

"Well, I told him that he had never done that before and I got worried I said something wrong, because he got all quiet. But then he scooped me into his arms and, Oh My God, did he kiss me." Amy blurted out.

Bernadette and Penny were stunned again, "Sheldon Cooper, swept you up into his arms to kiss you!" Penny stated in shock

"Our Sheldon Cooper, PHD?" Bernadette added, also in shock

Amy just nodded.

"What else happened?" Penny asked

"Well, we kissed for a long time, every so often coming up for air, but then kissing again. I got to put my arms around his neck, the whole time, and ran my fingers again through his hair. He had his arms around me the whole time and even lightly rubbed my back a few times. We kissed till we both knew we were done and then he got some drinks for us and we laid on the couch and watched a Star Trek movie and fell asleep there. He held me all night on the couch, until we woke up about 9 AM, and he had to go do paintball and I went home." Amy was finished

"Wow Ames, that was pretty romantic, especially when you realize it was Sheldon." Penny told her

"It is isn't it." Amy smiled. "Sheldon was acting like a normal boyfriend, wasn't he?"

"He sure was Amy. How does that fit into your four year plan?" Bernadette asked

"That was a major jump ahead." Amy said with a smile

The girls then ate their lunch, while Penny and Bernadette kept asking Amy the most embarrassing questions they could about Sheldon's kissing and how his lips felt. By the time they were done, Amy was blushing and all of them were giggling.

After Penny and Amy helped Bernadette clean up, Amy went to her purse and pulled out a booklet she had brought. "Penny here is the test, I would like you to take." Amy said while putting the test on the table with a couple of pencils.

Penny sat down an looked at the cover, reading it, until she came upon the words 'IQ Test', stopping to look at Bernadette and Amy. "I don't know Ames, I don't know if I really want to take this test and find out."

"Why Penny?" Bernadette asked.

"It is one thing to think you are stupid most of the time, but another to know it. If I know how stupid I am, I don't know how I will handle it. You guys knew you were smart when you were in school, so you know your IQ score, and you know how smart you really are. When you are stupid, you really don't want to know how stupid you are." Penny told them, she looked away.

"Penny, you are not stupid." Amy said.

"Penny, why don't you take it and we promise not to tell you the results, unless you ask." Bernadette told her.

Penny sat and looked at the test for a couple of minutes, she sort of did want to know, but didn't at the same time. "Ok, but you promise, girls honor, you will never tell me unless I ask, and never tell the guys. Even Howard!" Penny made them promise.

Bernadette and Amy nodded, did a pinky swear and promised. Penny looked at her friends and sighed, she thought 'This was it', she had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Penny walked over and sat at the table, picking up a pencil and slowly opening up the booklet. She would be at that table for the next three hours while Amy and Bernadette went to the grocery store, so Penny could be alone to do the test.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Three hours later, the girls came back and Penny helped bring in and put the groceries away. After all the work was done, Amy took Bernadette's laptop, logged in, then went to the scoring site and started to input Penny's answers. Penny sat on Bernadette's couch eating cookies and drinking tea, and trying to talk, but she was really nervous, she felt like her life was in the balance with every key stroke Amy made. Bernadette was wondering if this had been such a good idea, seeing Penny so nervous.

"Penny this is just a simple test, Amy gave you. It is only accurate up to plus or minus 10 points, so you really can't take the results as the final IQ numbers. To get accurate IQ numbers like Sheldon or Amy, you need to take a battery of tests." Bernadette was trying to get her to relax.

It really didn't do any good, "So if it says I'm stupid, we won't know if I am a little bit stupid or real stupid, your saying." Penny asked, knowing she was right.

Bernadette didn't know what to say and was trying to think of something good to tell her, when she heard Amy mutter, 'Oh My God.' Bernadette and Penny looked at her, Bernadette confused and Penny in terror.

Amy looked at them and smiled. "Penny, Bernadette wasn't exactly right, this is a new test and it is much more accurate, to plus or minus 5 points." Amy's smile got larger.

Bernadette was confused why Amy would say that, unless, Penny's IQ score was really impressive. "Penny do you want to know?" Bernadette asked.

Penny couldn't stand it, she didn't want to know, but she did, "OK tell me." Penny said very quietly

Amy was beaming, "Your IQ score is 145, Penny." Amy had to hold back squealing in delight.

Bernadette was so happy, she turned to Penny, to see her crying. "What's wrong Penny?"

"I told you, I'm stupid, why would Leonard want somebody as stupid as me." tears were rolling down Penny's face

Bernadette and Amy looked at each other in confusion. "Penny why do you think you are stupid, your IQ is a 145?" Bernadette asked her.

"Sheldon and Leonard's are in the 180's, 145 is so much lower, I am stupid" Penny responded.

Bernadette grabbed Penny's hands so she would look at her, "Penny normal human beings fall between 70-130 in IQ. Most PHD's fall between 120-140, and you're a 145. Leonard and Sheldon are geniuses, they are actually deviations from the norm."

Penny stopped crying and looked at Bernadette, genuine surprise in her eyes, "Are you saying I'm smart?"

Amy chuckled, "Bestie, you're not smart, you are really, really smart."

"Penny was school easy for you?" Bernadette asked

"It was boring, they said I had Attention Deficit Disorder, so I had to take drugs for it, while in school." Penny told them.

Amy shook her head, "I've seen too many cases of misdiagnosed ADD, and have heard of may exceptional kids drugged because they were too smart. I'm sorry Penny, they did you wrong."

Penny sat straighter, "So I am not too stupid for Leonard?"

"No, you probably have an IQ equal to or greater than Priya or Alex." Amy told her.

"You just don't have the formal schooling that they do." Bernadette added.

"I have never heard Leonard call you stupid, he probably knows deep in his heart that you are smart." Amy said, Bernadette nodded.

"No he has never called me stupid, he has actually called me smart." Penny told them.

"Well, Leonard is a genius." Amy said with a smile

"Thanks guys." Penny said, while she hugged both of them.

After they were done hugging, Amy printed a summary sheet for Penny that had her IQ numbers on it. All three of them then sat around eating cookies.

"Penny is that promise, to not tell Howard, still in effect." Bernadette asked.

Penny thought for a minute, "Howard would probably make fun of me."

Bernadette chuckled, "He might be upset with you, I'm not sure what his IQ is, I never asked."

"Really, really, really smart, Penny." Amy leaned in to say it to Penny. Bernadette nodded.

"Ok, I guess the promise is rescinded. You can tell them." Penny said

A couple minutes later, while Amy was getting a water, she went to the laptop to hit send, which sent an email to Leonard, with the results of Penny's test. Amy thought he should know it first, before anyone else.

Penny was sitting deep in thought, "Guys, my IQ, it is part of the reason, I like being around everyone, isn't it?" Penny asked her friends

"Well some of my studies indicate in primates, the smarter individuals tend to flock together and are the most successful because their minds think similarly." Amy told her.

"Yeah, it has to be a small part of it, common intelligence levels, but we love you mostly because of the person you are, you have a good heart." Bernadette added.

"Thanks guys." Penny choked out, "I have to go to the bathroom." tears forming in her eyes as she left for Bernadette's bathroom.

Amy gave Bernadette a slightly worried look, "Should we go after her?"

"No Ames, happy tears, she'll be OK, just give her a minute." Bernadette responded.

While Penny was in the bathroom, Amy and Bernadette started to talk about the test.

"Bernadette did you take a similar test." Amy asked

"No, I went through the battery of tests, and before you ask, my IQ is 160. How about you?" Bernadette said

Amy got a little nervous, "If I tell you, you can never tell anyone else, promise?"

Bernadette nodded.

Amy took a breathe, "It is estimated at 190."

"Oh My God Amy, does Sheldon know?" Bernadette asked, she was very surprised, she knew Amy was a genius, but didn't know she was smarter than Sheldon.

"No, and he must never know. You promised, also, you can't tell Penny, she can't keep secrets, so Leonard would find out, then Sheldon. Also no Howard." Amy pleaded.

"Promise is a promise. This is between you and me only." Bernadette and Amy did a pinky swear.

The girls had dinner, then Penny and Amy went back to their respective apartments. Penny spent the evening studying her script, she was actually getting a little nervous about Monday. She finally decided to go to bed at 10 PM and was able to fall to sleep relative quickly, considering she didn't really know what to expect Monday morning and she was wondering what it was going to be like acting in a studio in front a whole production crew.

Leonard was up getting ready for Monday morning at the Supercollider. It felt a little weird going by himself after working with Alex for the last couple of weeks. It was more than weird, he had gotten to the point were he had depended on her professionally during this whole project, they had worked perfectly together, and they were actually a great team. He had gotten ahead of schedule because of her, if it had been anyone else he probably would have been just on schedule now or behind. 'Crap' Leonard thought, 'I need her', she is my partner in this whole thing, how am I suppose to replace her now. What a fix he had put himself into, there was Penny, who he loved unquestionably, then Alex, who he had to emotionally hurt, but was an awesome scientific partner and he needed, what was he going to do. Alex wanted to leave, but he needed her, would she come back when he had to come back, how would Penny feel about that? Was he asking too much? Would Penny understand that he loved her, but he needed Alex to help him and understand how well they worked together. Why did everything have to be so hard?

Leonard turned on his laptop to check his email, before he left his room. Once into his account he immediately saw the email from Amy and opened it, hoping that nothing serious had happened, he couldn't take any bad news right now.

Leonard stood there reading, "Oh My God!" then he sat down to reread the email and attachment, to verify he didn't get anything wrong. After he had read it a third time Leonard sat back, a small smile forming on his face. He always knew Penny was smart, there was something about her, he just knew it, now she would know. This was great news, this would be so good for her and how she felt about herself, and it would be good for them, she wouldn't feel inferior anymore. Hell, she probably would let it go to her head, at first, and tease him about it, Leonard chuckled. Leonard read it again, then sent a thank you to Amy, telling her he owed her one. Leonard then sent an email to Penny, he put in the subject line 'Hey Smarty', then told her how he always knew it and how much he loved her.

Leonard's day had been busy, no hectic, without Alex, he had more work to do and the whole Monday morning had been spent with a new team of scientists, that CERN had put together to help him. The plan was now, that the week would be used for, gathering more data on the successful wavelengths and frequencies to date, exploring the remaining test points he hadn't accomplished yet, then doing an experiment for CERN to see if they could suck out the subatomic particles from the collider that they thought had ruined some previous important testing. CERN had provided him a couple of assistances, who had helped Alex before, to do most of Alex's data analysis work, but Leonard was going to have to do a lot more on his own. He thought, 'This is going to be a long week' as he sat down to a quick lunch before their afternoon's testing resumption.

Penny got up early and was not tired in the least bit, she was too nervous to be tired. Getting ready was really easy, this morning, because she was told she would be better off coming in with no makeup, since she would go makeup, early in the day. She was in her car, driving to the studio, only 30 minutes after she got up, they had also told her food and coffee would be available, when she got there. As she drove, she couldn't help but look at her check engine light, hoping her car would not succumb now to whatever was causing that light to glow, also understanding, for the first time, why she thought it bothered Sheldon so much. She rolled into the studio parking lot, 30-minutes early, looking for a parking spot in the already filled lot. As she drove down the aisles she saw a spot near the door and thought that it was probably the handicapped spot, until she saw the temporary reserved sign, with her name on it. She just sat there, her car stopped, looking at the sign, in wonder, until the car behind her beeped its horn, which finally make her pull in. Penny stepped out of her car, feeling different, the nervousness was gone, she was now thrilled.

Penny's day was a whirlwind of excitement for her. She was greeted by Nancy, as soon as she walked in, and had a coffee and bear claw with her while they talked for a few minutes. Next she went to an area, with the script writers and director, to do a table read and informal rehearsal which took up the whole morning. The director wanted to do just one or two scenes that day to get a feel for what he wanted to do for the rest of the week, so after a couple more hours of rehearsal, the director asked Penny to get into costume to try a scene. Penny first went off to makeup, which was actually fun, the makeup woman being extremely nice and friendly. Before she was completely done with makeup, she went to costume, she was to wear a one piece business type dress that went to just above he knees, a white lab coat and to her surprise, stylish black rimmed glasses. She put the dress and shoes on, went back to makeup for final touch up, then walked out to the set putting the lab coat on with the glasses.

Leonard was exhausted, he hadn't returned to his room till 8 PM and he had sat at his laptop for the next three hours typing up his notes and eating a cold sandwich washed down with diet caffeine free Dr Pepper. They had barely gotten done with everything they had planned for the day, at the Supercollider, and tomorrow was going to be just as busy. He had just shut down his laptop, and wanted to rest for a second, on the bed, before he got up to get ready to got to sleep. He laid his head on the pillow for what he promised himself was for only a minute, then closed his eyes. Leonard wouldn't open them again till the alarm clock went off in the morning.

When Penny walked onto the set, in full makeup and costume, the director looked at her and said 'Perfect' then lead her to a spot behind the lab table to discuss the scene with her and the young child actress, she had been reading with earlier. To Penny's surprise, she was actually expected to talk to the camera some, like she was talking to the audience, and since she would be talking to the camera, they had a teleprompter next to the camera with all her lines on it. It took them 20 minutes to set lights and everything up, including her final makeup touchup, but then it was up to her and on the third take she nailed it. The director loved the scene, so they set up a second, because after all they had their actresses in makeup, and it turned out the second take of the second scene was the one. They set up for a third scene, it took them five takes, but then that scene was perfect, like the director said. The director looked at his watch, it was 7 PM, so he told everyone they were done, and thanked them.

Ed looked at Penny, "Tired?" he asked.

Penny smiled "A little." as she walked over to the chairs he motioned her to. Those chairs, two of them, had been empty all day, they were the wood and canvas chairs you see around the set of a show that the director and others sit in. She walked up to them and when she got close to them, she saw why no one had sat in them, on the chair backs, one had Bob Martin's name and the other chair had 'Penelope' on it. Penny sat in her chair, it felt amazing, then looked at Ed smiling.

"Penny you did really good today, so I want to continue the rest of the week this way if you don't mind. The makeup for this show isn't a very big deal, so getting you made up every day takes only about an hour out of the day. Therefore, I want to read and rehearse a couple scenes in the morning and film them in the afternoon. I like this better, because I can review each previous scene while you are in makeup for the next and get a good feel on where I want the scenes to go. OK?" Ed took a breathe.

Penny liked how everything worked out today and Ed was telling her that is the way he wanted to do the whole week, "That sounds great to me Mr Johnson. I would like that." she told him.

"Ok, Penny, well, your done, you can go to makeup and wardrobe, then home. Please get some sleep, we don't want any bags under your eyes. Good night." Ed gave her a smile then got off his chair and walked off.

Penny looked from him to were wardrobe was as saw the nice wardrobe lady waiting for her. Penny was on cloud nine, she had to tell someone how great her day was, so she text'd Bernadette and Amy, 'Please go to dinner with meJ'. The girls asked if they could bring the guys and Penny told them to bring anyone they wanted, then told them where and when. Penny quickly went to wardrobe and got dressed back in her street clothes, then headed over to makeup

Beth, the makeup woman, had Penny's face clean of the makeup pretty quick, and Penny's face felt refreshed. Penny was about to get out of the seat, when Beth asked her how would she like to look, before she left.

Penny was a little surprised, "You want to make me up?' she asked

Beth smiled, "It is sort of standard practice to put street makeup on actresses when they leave the studio, in case the entertainment press is outside taking pictures." she told Penny.

"I don't know what to tell you Beth?" Penny said, obviously uncertain what to ask for.

Beth gave Penny a big smile, "Well if you trust me, I have an idea, and if you don't mind, I would like to do something special with your eyes." she told Penny

Penny nodded and told her OK. Fifteen minutes later, Penny looked in the mirror and was amazed, Beth had made her look exotic but not gaudy and the way she was made up made her street clothes look more stylish, Beth was amazing. "Thank you, Beth", she said to her while looking up to see Beth with a big smile.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Bernadette, Howard, Amy, Raj and even Sheldon were sitting at the table waiting for Penny, Sheldon remarking how she was 10 minutes late, like usual. Howard was talking to his wife, when he glanced at the front door in time to see this exotic blonde walking into the restaurant, so he nudged Raj and pointed to the girl as she walked their way.

Raj smiled and looked at the pretty girl, she was stunning, then suddenly he blurted out, "Dude, that's Penny!" Everyone immediately turned to look a her.

Penny walked over and sat down, a little self conscious, her friends all staring at her.

"My God, Penny you look beautiful!" Amy said, obvious awe in her voice

"You sure do Penny, but is that the makeup you wear for your show? It looks a little too….adult for a children's show." Bernadette asked.

"You look like a tigress, ready to leap on any male that gets close." Amy added

"Penny what is the name of that show, you are playing on?" Howard asked. Bernadette elbowed him in the ribs, "Ouch!"

Sheldon and Raj just stared, saying nothing.

"Bernadette, no this is not my show makeup, Beth, the makeup women, just had a little fun before I left. Amy, no tigress and no leaping on anyone. Howard, it is a children's show, however you may enjoy it. Raj put your tongue back in. Sheldon….Oh hell, I don't care." She stopped to breathe, then smiled and gave her head a slight tilt, "Hi Guys!"

They all laughed and started to ask her about her day, before the waitress came to take their food and drinks order. As they waited for their food, they all continued the their casual conversation, they always had and enjoyed when together. Penny however was, of course, the center of attention, with everyone interested in her show and how it was to be an TV actress. Sheldon didn't say much, but even he seemed a little bit interested. Their meal came, they ate and continued to talk, Penny still the main topic of their conversation.

"So Penny, that is amazing, it really sounds like you had more fun than work." Bernadette said to Penny while giving Amy, 'she's doing better' look.

"Penny was acting all you thought it would be?" Amy said to nudge Penny on.

"Oh God Yes! I love it. I can't wait to go in tomorrow." Penny was very enthusiastic

"Good thing you came back, then." Amy added, raising her eyebrows slightly as she said it to impress the point.

Penny got quiet, a little smile on her face, she was embarrassed but still happy, "Yeah, Leonard and you guys were right. I needed to do this, I would always wonder if I didn't. I do wish he was here though so I could tell him and hug him." Penny confessed

"Penny you are finishing Friday, and Leonard will be back Saturday, so you will have a whole week of stories and happiness to dump on him when he gets back." Bernadette told her.

Penny smiled, "Yeah, you're right. Maybe Beth can give me some makeup tips too." The three girls laughed.

They all got up to leave, Howard and Bernadette, arm in arm, and Sheldon and Amy holding hands, which surprised Penny, Raj, Bernadette, Howard and even Amy. As they walked away from the table, Penny grabbed Raj's arm and put her head on his shoulder, which shocked him.

"Raj, you are a great friend. With all that has happened today, I need to hug someone, do you mind?" Penny said while holding his arm and looking at him.

Raj shook his head 'no' and smiled, thinking Penny could hug him anytime.

As they walked out, Penny could see girls looking at them, and she knew they were wondering about the young Indian man with the blonde on his arm. So she held his arm a little tighter, for all those girls to see. She also saw that Raj had a big smile on his face.

Once outside at the cars, Penny hugged Bernadette, Amy and even Howard, gave Sheldon a little wave, then Raj a bear hug, a kiss on the cheek and a thank you. She then drove home listening to the music from her radio and singing along with it. In her apartment, ready for bed, she laid there thinking about her wonderful day, how she was looking forward to tomorrow and how she couldn't wait to see Leonard.

She lay in bed, on her side of the bed, which made her think, when did her bed and Leonard's bed begin to have her side and his side. She couldn't help but giggle, there were a lot of things they did together, like they were married already, why had she never noticed that before? But he was the only man she ever wanted to do those things with, she realized, it wouldn't be the same with anyone else. 'Penny Hofstadter' she liked the sound of her name with his last name, it just sounded right. She smiled to herself and hugged her pillow tightly, it would have to substitute for him tonight, she fell asleep within minutes.

Leonard woke up with the alarm clock, and found himself disoriented from not even realizing he had fallen asleep and a little sore. He had not moved from laying on his back, since falling asleep, and now his back ached, he pulled himself up and tried to do some stretches like Penny had taught him. They were yoga stretches, and they did seem to help some, at least he felt a little better. Leonard turned on his laptop and went to take a shower, then get ready, feeling still a little tired. After he had gotten all dressed, he opened his email account, smiled and then opened the email message from Penny. Leonard smiled as he read the email, it had 'I Love You' at the beginning, at the end and a couple of times in the body of the email, there was also an attachment. The attachment was a picture of Penny as she was made up Monday evening, she was stunning, and Leonard was so jealous he had not been there for her. The email told him about her first day and he could read the excitement in each paragraph, it made him happy and made him realize he had done the right thing sending her back.

The first thing Leonard had to do when he got to the Supercollider, Tuesday morning, was to reset and adjust all his lasers to test the remaining frequencies and wavelengths for his experiment. The only people who knew how to do that was Leonard and Alex, so since Alex wasn't there, Leonard had to do it all, it had taken all morning. Leonard sat there thinking, while he ate lunch, that he was already wore out, and would had preferred to start the actual testing tomorrow, but he resigned himself that it had to be done this afternoon, if he had any hopes of leaving Saturday. Leonard's afternoon was very long, and very stressful, resulting in him having a headache by 5 PM, before he was even close to being done.

Penny practically jumped out of bed when the alarm went off, and went right to the shower. Getting ready in the morning was so easy, she just showered, put on deodorant and perfume, her street clothes and her hair in a bun, then she was out the door, to work. When she thought about it, she chuckled at 'To Work' because it sure didn't seem like work, it was fun, more of a fantastic experience. She arrived early and went right to the coffee, it was so good, and the bear claws, where she met Nancy again to talk for a few minutes. Penny then took another cup, of the wonderful coffee, to the rehearsal room, for the table read, and began another day of this adventure she was now living.

Leonard walked in his room, at 8:30 PM that night, very tired, and threw his dinner sandwich and bottle of water on the bed, before he fell on the bed next to it. He was really too tired to eat, but he knew he had to do a few things before he went to bed. He had to send a email to Penny, to tell her how proud he was of her and lie about the great day he had today. He also had to send today's data, from a thumb drive he had, to Alex, so she could start to put the data tables in their preliminary report. Leonard got that all done in about two hours, then got ready for bed, at least he would sleep on his side so he wasn't so sore in the morning. Leonard lay there thinking of Penny, he missed her, and as he thought of her, it relaxed him, thinking about how she felt, her steady breathing and warm body as he held her, soon he drifted off to sleep.

It was late and Jan was sitting at a bar with his long time friend Christoph, who worked at the major paper, in Geneva, as a reporter. They hadn't stopped for a drink, together, in over a week, and Christoph thought it was because that Jan was with the pretty American Scientist, he said was there at the collider, and he planned on seducing. Christoph was like Jan, girls thought he was very handsome, he and Jan were really good at picking up pretty girls and their girlfriends at bars, and it was one of the reasons they hung around with each other, they were great as each others wingman. But tonight Jan seemed pretty upset and he was drinking a lot.

"My friend, what is wrong? Is it something to do with that American girl?" Christoph asked.

"Yeah, a little bit. But mostly about some blonde, really beautiful blonde. What the hell do they see in that Dr Hofstadter!" Jan said, then took another drink

"Who is Dr Hofstadter?" Christoph asked

"He is some genius from America who is on the verge of discovering a way to detect subatomic particles. That girl he brought and the blonde that showed up last week, are nuts over him. Hell, he just some small guy with glasses." Jan said in disgust, again taking another drink

"So what is so big about subatomic particles? And what did the girls look like?" Christoph asked, smiling at his friend's misery

"Subatomic particles are the matter that is needed to explain the Big Bang Theory, so if someone found a way to detect them, he would be advancing science in a big way and probably win a Noble Prize. Those two girls were beautiful, especially the blonde, but she hung on to him like she was afraid to loose him. Hell the other one hung on his every word, they were both dying to be with him." Jan said, again taking a drink.

Christoph, had not really listened about the women, he was more interested in this scientist who was going to set the scientific community on fire. This would be a great story and it would be his story, he liked this friend Jan, well sort of, but a story was a story. He had to get some more information out of Jan, before the night was out. Christoph call the bartender over, "Jan your drink is almost empty, let me get you another."

"Thanks Christoph, you are a good friend." Jan said while downing the rest of the drink in his hand.

Penny's second day as TV actress went better that the first, mainly because she wasn't as nervous as she was the first day. She now knew what to expect, so she enjoyed the whole experience more and actually had a little fun. She didn't know if this was the way it always was, but everybody on the set seemed in such a good mood, and the scenes, they accomplished in the afternoon, went very well, according to the director. By the time they were done for the day, everybody was still kidding around and happy, it was such a nice environment to work in. She even got to sit in 'her' chair again, which was a thrill for her every time she did. She felt a little sad it had to end for the day, when the director thanked everyone for the good job they did today, and said he would see them all tomorrow.

Penny was in makeup getting her face cleaned off, while Ed and Nancy were having a conversation with Bob. Bob had showed up late in the day, and was able to see the final scene, when it was shot.

"Ed, so how are things going?" Bob asked, this was his first time on the set since they started taping

"Bob, she is a natural. Nancy really hit a home run with casting Penny. Directing her is easy, she has no bad faults, I have to correct or work around, and if I have to change the way she does a scene, she gives me what I want the very next time." Ed said enthusiastically

Nancy, all in all, was an honest person, so "Ed, I can't take all the credit, though I would like to. Our technical adviser, gave me the information on Penny, and she fit the profile you wanted, so I just brought her in." Nancy confessed

"Really, Dr Hansen gave you the lead on Penny?" Bob asked in surprise

"Yes, Steve, gave me her picture and information, when he heard we were still looking for someone. She was an actress friend of a friend of his. After reviewing it she seemed right for the part, so here we are." Nancy answered

"Well then you and Steve hit a home run with casting her." Ed responded

"So how is our timetable?" Bob asked.

"Bob, we are almost half way done taping the pilot. I think we will have all the taping done by Thursday, then Friday we can tape any scenes we think we still need, after our Thursday night directors screening." Ed told Bob

"Great, hey you guys have a good night." Bob said, as their little group broke up for the night.

Penny sat in the chair as Beth finished up the last of her makeup removal. She was now putting a skin moisturizer on Penny' face, "So Penny how do you want to look tonight?"

"Thanks Beth, but I am just going straight home, so my face just clean, like it is now, is just fine." Penny told her

"OK, well you are done. Have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow." Beth responded.

Penny got up from the chair, gave Beth a hug and then headed for her car, Penny had another good day, but she was now tired and wanted to get to bed early. Penny picked up a bean burrito on the way home, and upon arriving at her apartment got comfortable with a diet caffeine free Dr Pepper and her burrito on the couch. She sat there with tomorrow's script, while she ate and drank her soda, studying for her scenes, her goal to get as many scenes done on the first take, she could, before she finished Friday. After a couple of hours she was ready to quit for bed, so she turned on her laptop to check email before going getting ready. She smiled as she saw Leonard's email and smiled again as she read it, some how he always made her feel good inside. Penny then typed out an email describing her day, trying to put in as many 'I Love You's' as she could, without sounding too silly and then sent it. Happy now, Penny got ready, then went to bed, tomorrow was going to be another wonderful day.

The morning paper in Geneva, had the story at the top of the science section, about an American scientific team who were going to make an important breakthrough in subatomic particle detection. It had cost Christoph three more drinks before Jan had spilled enough details of Leonard's experiment, that he could write the story. He was currently one of the most visible reporters, with his editor, because the news was big and in was happening close to Geneva. Christoph also knew Jan would have to tell him everything else he needed to know, because now he was his source, and he would reveal him, if he didn't help, Jan wasn't really that great a friend, and a story was a story after all.

Leonard was about to get the passengers seat of Dr Glauser's car, that Wednesday morning, but noticed the paper on the seat, with the page turned to show a picture of the CERN facility. He picked it up to sit and noticed that Dr Glauser had not said 'Good morning' or smiled at him, like he normally did.

"Dr Glauser, is something wrong?" Leonard asked cautiously

"Dr Hofstadter, have you released information about your project to the press?" Dr Glauser asked with a little bit of an accusatory tone.

"No! Is that why this picture of the CERN facility is in the paper?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, this is an article about what you are doing and its impacts on science. Someone gave the paper information on your work. The directors are not happy." Dr Glauser stated.

"Great, just Great." Leonard said while staring at the picture.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

When he got to the CERN facility, Leonard was asked to go to the Director's office, to discuss the news article. Leonard was already hating Wednesday and he was getting a little upset about the CERN management and how they were ready to accuse him of leaking information. When he and Dr Glauser reached the Director's office they were let right it, the Director was waiting.

"Dr Hofstadter, good morning, has everything been satisfactory here for you and your progress on your experiment?" the Director asked

Leonard really didn't like the false concern and chit-chat he was now hearing, when he knew why he was called in there. He was a little offended, because he felt they were going to try and blame him for something he didn't do. "Yes, everything has been fine." Leonard said simply

The Director could tell he needed to get to the point by Dr Hofstadter's demeanor, "Dr Hofstadter, we like to filter all press releases through our public affairs office, here at CERN."

"OK, and what does that have to do with me." Leonard responded, looking the Director in the eye.

The Director and even Dr Glauser were a little taken back by Leonard's attitude, he seemed to be challenging them to say something. The Director carefully chose his next words, but was not planning to back down, because this American had broken the rules.

The Director picked up the paper to the same page that Dr Glauser had on the car seat, "Dr Hofstadter, this article you released…" The Director never had a chance to finish

"I released no article, I have never talked to anyone in the press, as a matter of fact the only person I have talked to, in any length, the last couple days is Dr Glauser and now you. I am insulted you would even suggest I would leak information to the press, and I think maybe it is time for me to leave CERN." Leonard stated, looking at the Director in the eye the whole time, Leonard was tired and his temper was short.

The Director was shocked, he was the Director after all, people did not talk to him like that. However, if he was wrong about this American and he left now, the Director might as well retire, because he wouldn't have his job for long, if it was found someone at CERN had leaked it. He sat there in silence for a couple minutes, while the American stared at him, like a man who was mad at being falsely accused, which made the Director decide to back off his planned lecture of Dr Hofstadter.

"Dr Hofstadter, Please understand, we do not want to insult you, it is just that this matter is serious." the Director said, with a little smugness in his voice.

Leonard was not in a good mood right now, and he didn't like this guys attitude, "Then you better find out who did it, if it is so serious. Is there anything else Mr Director?" Leonard said, distain for the man dripping from each word he said.

The Director did not see any reason for Dr Hofstadter to remain and really wanted him out of his office, he could tell Leonard was extremely mad at him, which worried him. A guilty man does not act like Dr Hofstadter, maybe the problem was in his facility, he needed to check. "Thank you Dr Hofstadter for you time." he finally said.

Leonard stood up and walked directly out of the Director's office, Dr Glauser walking quickly, trying to catch up. Leonard thought, 'Just freaking great' as he walked back to where his experiment was located, he really didn't want to be there anymore. He thought he had enough data to publish his paper and support his theory, he could state in his paper that problems with the CERN staff prevented from exploring the rest of the possibilities to finish his experiment. An evil grin appeared on his face, then disappeared as soon as it formed, he couldn't do that, that was not who he was, it was just a mistake and it would work itself out. However, Leonard realized he was now going to have a terrible day, because of it.

Leonard's day was exactly as expected, terrible. The CERN personnel did their job but there was tension in the air, everyone knew about the article in the paper. Leonard found more and more things he had to do himself, because of Alex was not there, and he realized that maybe he should have left with her, while he had the chance. Things had gone real slow that day, and it was now 6 PM and he was eating a cold sandwich while they did some final Laser firings to gather data. He knew he would be lucky to get back to the room by 9 PM tonight.

Wednesday was a little more challenge for Penny as she rehearsed the scene of the big experiment for the pilot episode. This scene, Penny did almost all the talking and she had to work on the experiment while she talked. They had some equipment on the table for her to operate while she rehearsed and Dr Hansen helped with the equipment and the technical portion of her lines. Rehearsal continued after lunch and it wasn't till about 2 PM that Penny was able to go to wardrobe and makeup.

Leonard lay in bed and looked at the clock, it was 11 PM and he was still keyed up from the day, yet completely exhausted. They were behind, they hadn't accomplished what they had planned for today, and he knew they would never get the preliminary experiments done, that CERN wanted, by Friday. He didn't want to stay over the weekend and he didn't want to be there next week, the thought of him having to do that, was the reason he couldn't sleep.

Todd Stewart was a upcoming actor in the business, that was just finishing up a 12 episode appearance on one of the Vampire TV shows that were the current popular shows for young adults. Nancy Wood, had requested that Todd stop by the set, after his show finished for the afternoon, to discuss a part in an upcoming TV show, that she thought he would be good in. Todd was very handsome and had one of those British accents that girls liked, so he fit well in the shows that seemed to have 25-35 year olds as their main cast, therefore, he was just the person Nancy thought would work in this new show. Todd and Nancy talked well behind the cameras, while Ed and Penny went through the taping of another of the pilots scenes, oblivious to the curious eyes of Todd Stewart. After Todd and Nancy finished, Todd hung around to watch the rest of the scene taping, thinking to himself that the blonde actress was pretty hot and he would like to meet her.

Penny was sitting in 'Her Chair' for a few minutes more after Ed had left, they had been discussing tomorrows taping. She was feeling very content, happy and a little day-dreamy, so she didn't notice when Todd sat down in Ed's Director's chair.

"Hi, I saw a few of your scenes, you are very good." Todd said to her

Penny turned quickly, surprised someone was next to her, then surprised again it was Todd Stewart. Penny liked the new Vampire shows on TV and Leonard would watch them with her, which he liked doing more than watching 'Sex and the City.' They both knew Todd Stewart was the new handsome hunk on one of those shows they watched.

"Thank you." Penny answered, she was a little of a fan girl and having one of the actors in front of her, from one of her favorite shows, was a thrill.

"So how long have you been acting?" Todd asked, thinking yes this girl is quite attractive.

Penny told him about her whole acting dream and how it had taken almost 10 years, since she got to California, to finally get where she was now. She was amazed how intently he listened to her, asking her more about her life before she left for California. Then to her surprise, he told her a little about himself and his first big break in show business, Penny was amazed how nice he was.

As Todd listened to Penny, he picked up on a few important things, she was single, new to being an actress and had a fan type impressed view of him, which is good, he thought. It was always easy, when they were impressed with him and he was impressed with the body this blonde had under her clothes, very toned. He was about to get a little more personal, when the makeup girl walked up to them.

"Beth!, I'm so sorry, please forgive me, I lost track of time. Todd please excuse me." Penny said, as she got off her chair to follow Beth to wardrobe and makeup.

"No problem. Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow." Todd said, as Penny walked off.

"That would be nice." Penny answered.

Beth asked Penny, "That was Todd Stewart, wasn't it"

"Yes it was." Penny said and giggled

"Oh, he is so dreamy and I love his accent." Beth responded

"Well you need to come to lunch with me tomorrow and meet him." Penny told her friend

"Can I? That would be great, thank you." Beth said, as both girls entered the makeup area, giggling and talking about Todd Stewart.

Penny laid in bed, the last couple of days had been like a dream, but the pure magic of it had not completely worn off, and she loved her job. She was even starting to meet other actors, which was a thrill. However, now things were settling down, into a little bit of a routine, thoughts of Leonard would enter her mind again, she really missed him not being there and holding her. Being in Leonard's arms made her feel secure and she missed laying in bed with him just talking a little before they went to sleep. She also missed being able to kiss him when she wanted and she missed listening to him and just watching him. Her life was quite lonely without him, and when she laid there in her bed, like now, it only seemed lonelier, Leonard was everything to her. She thought, if her show got picked up by the networks, she wanted to see, staring Penelope Hofstadter, in the credits and that caused her some worry, would Leonard want to marry her. Leonard marrying her was a given, in her mind, months ago, now she wondered if he could accept being with her the rest of his life. She continued to lay there and think about him, until sleep took her away.

Leonard woke up early, tired, but determined, and went straight to his laptop to send out an email. He immediately sent the first one to Dr Gablehauser to set up a telecom with him, later in the day, to discuss the situation there and he included that there had been some difficulty with the CERN management. After he hit send, he relaxed a little and opened Penny's email, which seemed to be the only thing that made him happy, the last few days. He would chuckle when he read her emails, because they were so full of little smiley faces, computer characters, different text types and formats, that they almost looked like art. He typed up an email back to her and after he was done, he looked at it, thinking how dull it must look compared to hers, but that sort of showed the mood he was in, compared to her. He hit send and then got up to get ready for another day.

Leonard's day with the Supercollider was going slowly, like he knew it would. He knew he would get finished up today with getting his experimental data, but he would not be able to do anything on the experiment that CERN wanted him to do, he was at least a day behind schedule. Setting up CERN's experiment would take at least a day, so that they would not get to the actual experiment till next week and Leonard didn't want to be there next week. Leonard was hoping to get an email back from Gablehauser after 5 PM and had already made arrangements there for the Telecom, so now he was just waiting, while he completed his experiment, for the day.

The Thursday morning American papers started to run the story about the activity that was happening at CERN. The Associated Press (AP) had the story late Wednesday and the papers included in their Thursday morning editions. In some of the larger papers, that had a science desk, the reporters were tasked to find out more, especially who the American team were. However, the TV news networks were even more interested, and they notified their European offices to get more information, so their news anchors would have something meaningful to report on the evening news.

Penny was up early and was at her work early, enjoying a bagel this morning, talking with Beth about makeup. Today and tomorrow were her last two days, and she wanted to make the best of them, enjoying them to their fullest. Today was the last day of her scheduled scenes, so when she took her coffee and herself to the table read, she was determined to do her best. She had not been able to get a scene done on one take yet, but she felt today was her day, so began with determination.

It was 6 PM when Leonard finally got to talk to Dr Gablehauser and to his surprise again President Siebert. President Siebert was sitting with a copy of the one of the major papers, with the pages turned to the article on Leonard's experiment. Both Siebert and Gablehauser were in a very serious mood.

"Dr Hofstadter, what is happening there?" Dr Gablehauser asked

Leonard was a little surprised at the bluntness of Dr Gablehauser question, "I completed, my experiment, but I am behind and haven't even begun the CERN experiment. Also, someone has leaked news of my experiment, it is in the local papers."

Siebert heard the 'someone leaked' statement by Leonard and he immediately decided to give him the benefit of doubt, that he was not the cause. Also, he liked Leonard, Leonard always seemed to be a team player, and he was one of the few people who could control Dr Cooper.

"Leonard, do you have any idea who did it. The story was in all the papers this morning in the States, too." Siebert asked him, with a more even tone than Gablehauser.

"No sir. The Director here, had at first, practically accused me of doing it, so there has been a little tension here. But sir, I promise you it was not me." Leonard told Siebert

"Well here is the problem, the news is all over this and it won't be long till the university will have to make a statement on your work. So you need to get it finished as fast as possible, so if you have all your data, we need you to come home immediately and get to work on your paper." Siebert told Leonard

"Dr Gablehauser, I'll contact the Director at CERN and explain why we want Dr Hofstadter back and pacify them. Can you take care of getting him back?" Siebert said to them both

"Yes sir, Dr Hofstadter, when can you come back?" Gablehauser asked Leonard


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Leonard was trying not to jump for joy or get a big smile on his face, while he talked, "I can secure my equipment tomorrow morning and be available by late Friday afternoon, to leave, Sir." Leonard said as seriously as he could.

"Good, Friday late afternoon, Geneva time, I'll contact travel. You will probably receive an itinerary in a few hours." Gablehauser told Leonard.

Leonard talked a couple more minutes with Gablehauser and Siebert, before signing off. He was happy for the first time, in the whole last week, while there at CERN. He finished off the data analysis, he was currently working on, in less than two hours and was getting ready to leave, to go back to the Hostel, when the CERN director showed up.

"Dr Hofstadter, I was just informed you will be leaving us and I wish to apologize if we caused you any discomfort. President Siebert advised me that you had no part in the press leak, and he fully stood behind your statement concerning it, so we will start to look for someone here at CERN. Will you be coming back soon?" the Director said to Leonard

Leonard still didn't like this guy, he was too self important, plus he was saying that the only reason they were looking at CERN personnel was because President Siebert vouched for him, not that he was innocent. Leonard was more than ready to leave Switzerland now, "I don't know Director, the university will have to let you know."

The Director could feel the tension between them, and Leonard's response made it clear he didn't want to talk anymore about it. The Director knew from now on he would have to tread carefully around Dr Hofstadter, he had made a big mistake calling him in to his office this morning. The President of his university trusted him explicitly and made that clear to the Director, the Director was going to now have to do some politicking to settle things down.

"Thank you, Dr Hofstadter. Dr Glauser will help you with anything you need for your departure." the Director then turned and left, not offering his hand because the way Dr Hofstadter looked, he didn't think he would shake it.

Dr Glauser looked at Leonard with a little fear in his eyes "Dr Hofstadter, are you ready to go."

"Yes Dr Glauser, I'm ready." Leonard said with a sigh, not really mad at him.

Leonard got back to the room about 8 PM again, turning on his computer, as soon as he closed the door and walked over to his desk. Once in his email account, he found the email from the travel office, with his itinerary and to his happy surprise, he was leaving Friday at 6 PM. He was also happy to see his flights were set up to get him back in the Airport, in California, by 10 PM Friday, by going through Chicago, then straight to California. Leonard sat back in his chair and smiled, this was the last night he would spend in this lonely room and in Switzerland.

Penny was eating lunch in the cafeteria with Beth, when Todd came to their table, and sat down. He was wearing jeans and a polo knit shirt, both that hugged his body and showed it off, which didn't go unnoticed by any of the women in the cafeteria.

"How are you girls doing?" Todd greeted them, as he took a seat next to Penny.

Beth was a fan girl of the Vampire shows and was really impressed with Todd, plus he looked so dreamy, she was at a loss for words.

Penny looked at Beth and could see the look in her eyes, so she started talking, "We are doing great, how are you?" She had to keep from chuckling a Beth's looks at Todd.

They talked for the next 30-minutes, well Penny and Todd, did most of the talking, Beth too star-struck to contribute much. Just before they all got up and to leave, Todd told the girls that the show, he worked on, was having a little party for him after work Friday, since this was his last episode, and he invited them both. Penny saw the pleading look in Beth's eyes so she accepted for both of them.

Ed was eating lunch and looking at the paper, reading the article on the Americans working at CERN, making a large advance in Physics. While he read it, he remembered that Dr Hansen was from Cal Tech, the same place these scientists were from, so he went to find him. Ed found him sitting at a table in the cafeteria and walked over to talk to him, "Dr Hansen, may I sit down?"

"Sure, Mr Johnson, but please call me Steve." Steve said with a smile.

"Ok, Steve, thanks. Call me Ed. I'd like to pick your brain for a minute." Ed then passed the newspaper to Steve, "Did you see this article?"

Steve took a couple minutes to read it, then smiled, "That son of a bitch, he did it?" Steve said rather loudly surprising Ed by his outburst.

"So you know him?" Bob asked

"Sorry, yes that has to be Dr Leonard Hofstadter. He told me what he was planning to do, but he actually did it." Steve told him, then quietly, "Good for you Leonard."

"He sounds like a friend. I was wondering, do you think maybe he would commit to do a guest appearance on our show, if it gets picked up?" Ed asked

"I'm not the one you should ask. You should ask your star, she is his girlfriend, I think, or at least a very good friend." Steve said with a smile.

Ed looked at Steve in obvious surprise, "You are saying, Penny is the girlfriend of this Dr Hofstadter, who is probably going to win a Noble Prize?" Ed asked in disbelief.

"Yes, he is the friend of mine, who asked if we would take a look at his actress friend for the part." Steve told him.

Ed got a big grin on his face, "You know sometimes you have all the luck in the world and sometimes you don't. I think we got the luck part with this whole pilot, this is a good omen." Ed said. Steve and Ed both laughed.

The rest of the day went quickly for Penny, but she happily reached her goal of a scene on one take. The second scene they taped, Penny nailed on the first take and on the last scene they taped, she did again, she felt great, she really felt like an actress. The cast and crew wrapped up for the day, so she went to sit, in her chair, Penny just smiled, she couldn't believe how wonderful it had been. Tomorrow, she didn't even know if she would have to be in costume, it all depended on the Director's viewing tonight, today could be it for her, so she just sat there trying to remember the week, to keep it in her mind forever.

Ed walked up behind Penny, "Well we are almost done with the pilot. How do you feel Penny?"

Penny looked at Ed, a big smile on her face, "Wonderful, just wonderful, I really enjoyed this."

"So then, we don't have to pay you!" Ed joked, and they both laughed. "You have been doing a great job, Penny. You really have a future in this business."

Ed's praise always made her feel good, he was a great director and everybody on the cast and crew liked him. "Thank you, so much. It means a lot coming from you." Then Penny decided to ask him something that was on her mind, so with a sly smile on her face, "Mr Johnson, would you tell on me if I stole this chair?" Penny asked him, while she looked down at the chair she was sitting on.

Ed broke down laughing, which confused Penny a little, but made her smile, "Penny, the actors always take those chairs, with their name on them, especially the first one, it's yours, take it."

"Thank you. It's just so… Thank you." Penny said to Ed

"Penny can we talk for a minute?" Ed asked.

Penny was a little surprised that Ed was getting all formal with her, all of a sudden, "Sure, what's up."

"Penny is your boyfriend, Dr Hofstadter?" Bob asked, noticing the surprise on her face.

"Yes Leonard is my boyfriend, why, is something wrong?" Penny answered now very confused

"Well, it was great he got you an audition for this show, and we were wondering if he do another thing for this show." Ed responded

Penny only heard the first part of Ed's statement, "Leonard, got me the audition?"

Ed looked at her confused, he could tell she was surprised, no stunned, she didn't know? Well he had to tell her now, "Yes, Dr Hansen told me that Dr Hofstadter asked him about the show and asked if he could get you an audition, so he asked Ms Wood, she gave us your information and then we decided to set one up for you. Didn't you know?" Steve asked

"Do you know, when?" Penny croaked out

Ed could see tears forming in her eyes, "Dr Hansen said about a week before the audition." Steve told her, he could see she was getting more upset.

Penny sat there thinking, it was while they were broken up, everything now made sense, Leonard did this, sweet kind caring Leonard, even though they were broken up, he was still taking care of her. Penny was having trouble controlling her emotions, she though just a couple more minutes please. But she couldn't do it.

"I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Penny turned and hurried to the bathroom, leaving Ed confused. He had seen other actresses break down over things, but this was the first time he had caused it and he started to feel real guilty. He should have checked on it more before he dropped this on her, because it was obviously a sensitive subject with her.

When she turned and walked quickly to the bathroom, Beth, who was in the makeup area, saw her face, as she went by, and the tears that had begun to fall.

Penny stood in the bathroom, sobs racking her body, she was holding on to the sink with both hands to support herself, otherwise she would be on the floor. It was Leonard, he made her dream come true, everything made so much sense now that she knew it was Leonard. No man had ever treated her like Leonard, no man had ever cared for her like Leonard, no man made her feel secure like Leonard and no man had loved her like Leonard. How did she deserve such a person like Leonard, she felt so unworthy of him, but she needed him in her life. She loved him with all her heart and soul, how was she going to tell him how she felt, make him see what he meant to her, how much she loved him? She owed it to him, after all the bad things she did to him, she owed him the feeling that he was truly loved, unconditionally.

Beth saw Ed standing there confused and concerned, he must have said something to her and hurt her, she thought. Beth quickly grabbed a couple of items from her kit and went to the bathroom to help Penny. Beth was a little surprised, when she entered the bathroom, finding Penny leaning on the sink crying.

"Penny are you OK?" Beth asked, very concerned.

"Oh Beth, he is so amazing, so wonderful and I love him so much." Penny said between her tears.

"Who Penny?" Beth asked

"Leonard, sweet adorable Leonard." Penny said to Beth, her words coming from her heart.

"He is your boyfriend, right? You are still together, right?" Beth asked with caution

"Yes, as long as he'll have me." Penny said while sniffling.

"Did Mr Johnson say something to you? He looks a little worried about you." Beth told her.

"I'm sorry." Penny said, then looked into the mirror, she looked like a monster, all her makeup was running down her face.

"Lets see if we can get that off you." Beth told her, then started to take Penny's makeup off.

Ed was just about to go after Penny, when she came walking back to him, "I'm really sorry I had to leave. What were you saying about Leonard?" Penny asked, she was still having a hard time with the information Ed had just told her.

"Penny, is something wrong? Did I broach on a touchy subject?" Ed asked, obviously concerned.

"I really sorry. Leonard is my boyfriend and he is the greatest guy in the world. He is always taking care of me, he is my biggest fan, and he is my "White Knight". Penny said, giving Ed a small strained smile

Ed was a little worried to say anything, after what happened, "Penny, he sounds very special to you." Ed said cautiously

"More than special." Penny said. Ed was about 20 years older than her and she saw him as sort of a father figure, so she felt she was safe with him, "I love him, very much."

Ed was surprised that Penny told him something so personal, but also he felt flattered that she thought enough of him to do it. Ed decided it was Ok to ask her now, "Penny, the reason I wanted to talk to you was that I was wondering if Dr Hofstadter would like to do a guest shot on the show in the future. With what is happening, his future appearance could be the thing that makes one of the networks pick up the show."

"It would be up to him. I can't do anything but make him the offer. I don't want him to do anything he is not comfortable with. He is a top scientist and I am very proud of him, so I can't do anything that would be bad for him. I hope you understand." Penny told him sincerely.

Ed nodded, he understood, she loved Dr Hofstadter, "Ok Penny, anything you could do would be great. If he doesn't think he can do it, fine. We'll be fine, anyway. You take care and we'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you." Penny said with a smile.

Penny drove home on autopilot, she wasn't even really thinking were she was going and was a little surprised when she ended up home. Leonard occupied all her thoughts, she wished he was here, so she could talk to him and tell him how much she loved him. After she parked, she got out of her car and started walking to the door of the apartment, when she saw Howard and Bernadette going in, so she hurried to catch up. She practically ran up the stairs and was able to catch them, on the first landing, "Hey guys!"

"Penny, wow, how are you, we haven't seen you since Monday, and we know you have been working late." Bernadette replied, Howard nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we have been working a little late, but we finished all the planned scenes today and got off at 6 PM for a change." Penny told them

"Well we are going up to Sheldon's, to have take out, you should come over." Bernadette told her.

Penny smiled, being with her friends sounded great, and maybe her and the girls could talk later. She really wanted to talk to someone, "Yeah, just let me go to my apartment, and I'll be right over."

20-minutes later, everyone was in Sheldon's apartment eating take-out, even Penny, however the atmosphere was a little tense. Someone at the university had showed Sheldon the newspaper with the article about Leonard, which made Sheldon irritated the rest of the day. Sheldon, didn't understand all the attention Leonard was getting over his silly experiment, while his important work in string theory was being ignored. So now everyone was eating quietly hoping that Sheldon would not implode and start on one his tirades about Leonard's work.

They were not so lucky, "Do you know the university has blocked off valuable computer mainframe time, next week, to Leonard, in case he needs it to do his paper. IN CASE HE NEEDS IT! They didn't even consider that I may need that time. My work is so much more important than Leonard's silly project." Sheldon began, everyone in the room cringed.

"They also assigned Alex to Leonard, until further notice. How could they do that, I trained her into an acceptable assistant, now Leonard benefits from all my hard work and I have to keep putting up with her replacement, Beverly the bitch!" Sheldon was on a role now.

When Sheldon had mentioned Alex, Bernadette and Amy looked at Penny, both a little worried. Penny, however, just looked back at them and shook her head, her and Alex had an understanding. Penny was though getting angry at Sheldon putting Leonard down, she felt very protective of Leonard now, and she felt that Sheldon's insults were insults to her too.

"Now there also talking about Leonard being nominated for a Nobel Prize, do you believe it, a Nobel Prize! Why don't they just give Nobel Prizes out to high school students for growing lima beans with music playing. My work on string theory is more deserving." Sheldon took a breathe and was about to continue.

"Maybe they give Nobel Prizes out to people who deserve them and not people who just talk smack, but have nothing to show for it." Penny said, everyone looked at her.

"Are you saying that Leonard's work somehow compares to mine in string theory?" Sheldon asked unbelievably.

"I'm saying that Leonard's work will advance physics and will probably lead scientists to eventually prove the Big Bang Theory, while your work has done nothing except keep you in a job." Penny responded

"Why I….Just because you found out your IQ is above that of the normal monkeys we deal with around here, doesn't mean you are smart enough to understand my work." Sheldon said to her, arrogance in his voice.

"Sheldon, that is a terrible thing to say." Amy said to him

Penny stood up and got in Sheldon's face, she couldn't stand him putting down Leonard down anymore, she just couldn't take it right now, "Listen you stupid ass, if being so far up the evolutionary chain means that things like common sense, reason, understanding, common logic and simple human decency, elude you, then you can have it. If it wasn't for Leonard you would be alone in your apartment tonight, tomorrow and forever. Leonard is ten times the man you will ever be, and he doesn't need a Noble Prize to prove it." Penny glared at him, her face inches away from his face, terrifying Sheldon.

Amy looked at Sheldon, seeing the fear in his eyes, then to Penny, "Penny!" Amy said with concern in her voice.

Penny looked at Amy and suddenly realized she went over the line, she was ashamed of herself. "Sorry." she said softly and walked out the door, heading straight to her apartment.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

No sooner then the door closed, and Penny left, Sheldon got up from his spot and made a quick dash to his room, leaving everyone one remaining in the room, speechless. They all sat there looking at each other, trying to decide what to do. Then Bernadette and Amy both got up.

"I'll go check on Penny, why don't you check on Sheldon." Bernadette said to Amy, who just nodded.

Bernadette walked into Penny's apartment, expecting the worse, but found Penny standing in her kitchen with a bottle of water to her lips. Bernadette let out a sigh of relief, Penny seemed a little upset, but otherwise Ok. She wasn't even drinking, maybe, Bernadette thought, she was handling things better again.

"Penny are you going to be OK?" Bernadette asked cautiously

"Bernadette, I found something out today about Leonard, I really am having trouble dealing with. Sheldon just made it all come back to me. I can't stand him saying all those bad things about Leonard. Leonard is so good to him." Penny responded, her voice cracking

Bernadette was worried, what did she find out, "What Penny?"

Penny took a deep breathe, trying to calm herself before she spoke, "You know this show I'm working on, and how I was so surprised they called me for an audition. I thought maybe they saw some of my previous work, because it was so unusual."

"Yes." Bernadette said, wondering were Penny was going with this.

"Well, Leonard made everything happen. He got me the audition. He got them to call me. Leonard is responsible for my first big break in show business. Leonard!" Penny said, she seemed about to cry.

Bernadette was surprised, "How? When? How could Leonard do that?" she asked.

Penny barely held in the tears as she told Bernadette the whole story of how she got her first big break, because of Leonard. After she finished, Penny just sat there quietly, rethinking all she just told Bernadette. She still was amazed at what he did but she knew in her heart all about Leonard, it was exactly something Leonard would do, help her, no matter what.

"Bernadette, he did it while we were broken up! He still cared for me to do this after he broke up with me! He has cared for me and taken care of me since I moved in across the hall!" Penny exclaimed, while breathing heavily

"He has always loved you Penny. He would do anything for you. He wants you to be happy." Bernadette stated to her.

"Bernadette, how do you repay someone that made your dream come true? How do you let him know how much you love him, so he really understands, its real?" Penny looked at Bernadette, with a pleading look in her eyes, she hoped Bernadette had the answers she needed.

Bernadette was at a loss for words, what Leonard did was like something out of a fairy tale, he made her dream come true. Leonard was one of the few guys in the world that would do that for someone. All the guys, in their group, were kind hearted, except Sheldon because he didn't understand, and that was one of the reasons Bernadette fell in love with Howard. But what did she tell Penny?

"Penny, I don't know what to say to help you. All I can think of is you have to show him you mean it. He needs to see by your actions that he is the only one." Bernadette offered

Penny just nodded, at least what Bernadette told her made sense and was something she could do. She really needed Leonard to get back, except for a couple of days, she had not really been with him for over a month, and stress of not knowing where they stood, just kept weighing on her more and more. If it wasn't for her friends, she knew she would have done something really stupid by now, like the Switzerland trip, so she even didn't trust her own judgment right now.

"Penny are you Ok?" Bernadette was worried, Penny had not said anything for a few minutes and was just looking at her hands.

"I don't know. I really don't. But I know I can make till Leonard comes home Saturday. Then we'll see. I'm a little scared. I know he loves me, but does he really want me anymore? I've hurt him so many times, did I drive him away for good? He is different, Bernadette. He is so cautious around me, now. I think he is sad, too." Penny told her, sadness in her voice.

Bernadette thought about how Leonard was, almost a month ago, when she last saw him, he was a mess. He was the worse she ever saw him and she was actually worried about him. Since she hadn't seen him since, she really didn't know if he had gotten any better, but she knew Leonard had always been worried Penny would leave him. Maybe she did finally break him, it was possible.

"You have been sad too Penny. So I guess you both are sad. You both need to be together for a while and sort things out. You know Penny, one of Leonard greatest fears is loosing you. You said several months ago, that you weren't sure if you wanted to be with him anymore. What do you feel now?" Bernadette asked.

"I'm afraid to loose him. I love him. I can't imagine my life without him anymore." Penny stated, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she said it

"Well Penny you need to make sure he knows that." Bernadette said with a small smile on her lips. Maybe those two are going to make it after all, she thought.

Amy was sitting on the bed next to Sheldon, rubbing his back, he was not resisting her touch, it even seemed like he welcomed it. Amy was a little worried, Sheldon had not said a thing for a while, which was not like him. She knew if he started talking he would be better, so she had to get him talking.

"Sheldon, are you feeling any better?" Amy asked. Sheldon said nothing

"Sheldon, Penny is very stressed out about Leonard, that is why she has been acting like that, you have to forgive her." Amy said to him.

"Amy she yelled at me, she got in my space and she was threatening me." Sheldon finally said.

"She was trying to protect Leonard, Sheldon, she is in love with him." Amy said, now feeling bad because Sheldon would probably never understand.

"I don't want her around anymore." Sheldon said

"Why Sheldon, she didn't hurt you. She is my friend. Don't you care how I feel?" Amy pleaded.

Sheldon sat quietly for a couple of minutes, "Yes Amy, I care how you feel. If she comes over again, you promise you'll control her, at least until I update the roommate agreement with Leonard and make him take responsibility."

Amy looked at Sheldon, "Yes I'll take care of her. You care how I feel?"

"Yes, Amy I care how you feel. You are the only one I let touch me, because you want to. I don't do that hippy-dippy stuff with anyone else, do I." Sheldon stated

"No, I guess not. Do you like touching me?" Amy said softly

Sheldon sat there not speaking for a long time looking at Amy. He saw the question in her eyes when she asked it, but now he saw her eyes turning sad. He didn't want to make her sad and he didn't know why. He leaned over quickly and gave her a small kiss, then pulled back quickly.

"Yes, touching you is pleasant." Sheldon responded

Amy was a little stunned by the kiss, did Sheldon just kiss me again, he has been doing that a lot lately. Amy moved closer to Sheldon and Sheldon didn't move away. Amy then put her head on his shoulder and again he didn't move away.

"Sheldon, I think I am in love with you." Amy said, scared to death that she said it.

Sheldon then put his arm around her, and kissed the top of her head. "Amy I may be falling in love with you too. But you have to give me time."

Amy smiled. "Take all the time you need, cuddles."

Leonard didn't really sleep that night, he was too excited, so he only had catnaps off and on all night. He actually was laying awake in bed, waiting for his alarm to go off, when it did. He immediately got up and ready, then packed up all his belongings, ahead of the schedule he had allowed for the effort. Leonard was waiting outside the Hostel, with his suitcase, ready to go, when Dr Glauser pulled up.

Leonard worked quickly pulling his lasers out of the collider, since he was just removing them, it didn't take the time, it did when he installed them, because there was no calibration needed. The rest of his equipment could stay in place since it was around the collider and didn't interfere with it. After the lasers were out, Leonard then removed the laser detectors, that recorded the reflected laser energy, and as soon as they were removed he was done. He put the removed equipment into their storage boxes and then it was taken away for storage at CERN, and he was done. Now that all his work was done, Leonard went around and said goodbye to everyone he had worked with, then left with Dr Glauser for his trip to the airport. It was 2 PM and he had plenty of time, but he wished it was closer in time for his departure, so he would be closer to leaving.

Penny got up early, like every other day this week, however she took a little more time dressing this day because of the party she would be going to, after work, with Beth. Penny was excited because she was going to get to meet all the stars of the Vampire shows she loved and like all fan girls this was going to be a thrill. She picked her nicest dressy jeans and blouse, and got ready, today was going to be fun.

Leonard boarded the airplane and got into his coach seat. The plane was packed and there was a 6 year old behind him that kept hitting the back of his seat, it was going to be a long flight. Leonard had a window seat so he just looked outside, as soon as the plane left the gate, trying to keep his mind off how excited he was to be going home. He was also trying not to think too much about seeing Penny, because the more he thought about her, the more he wanted the plane to fly faster.

Penny's morning went by pretty quick, because the director wanted to do one scene over, with a different view and script change, and he wanted to add a couple small scenes to transition to the major scenes. Penny was in costume and makeup by 10 AM and worked through lunch, having a sandwich at 2 PM, while the director reviewed the new scenes.

Ed finished his review about 4 PM and was happy with results, "Well Bob, everything looks good, I guess we are done shooting."

Bob smiled, "Great and on time, we are looking good if this pilot gets picked up." He told Ed.

Ed and Bob came back to the set, then told everyone they were done and thanked them.

"Penny you did great. Now we edit and do a presentation to the networks. We should know by next month if one of them is going to pick it up." Bob told Penny

"Well Penny you are done, we have your information, so Nancy will call you as soon as she hears something. She might even call you earlier, because she said she might have a couple small parts that will suit you, in some upcoming productions." Ed told Penny smiling.

Penny smiled back. Nancy might have something more for her, her career was finally taking off, she was a professional actress now. "Thank you Mr Johnson and Mr Martin." Penny said with a smile.

Ed and Bob smiled back and turned around to leave. Penny then got up and went to wardrobe to get changed. As soon as she was done for wardrobe, she sadly thought for maybe the last time, she went to see Beth. Beth had already put makeup on and was looking very nice, very nice indeed.

"Beth can you make me look half as good as you." Penny asked with a smile

Beth laughed, "Let me see what I can do." 20 minutes later, Penny looked gorgeous.

When Beth was done, she helped Penny grab 'her chair' and put it in Penny's car. Then Beth and Penny just sat and talked for about 15 minutes, while waiting for Todd Stewart to show up.

"Well girls, you ready to have a few giggles? Wow, you both are hot!" Todd complemented them, thinking Penny was really hot. The girls just giggled.

"A few giggles?" Beth asked, she loved Todd's accent.

"Sorry slang, I mean have fun at the party." Todd explained, and the girls both nodded yes. "The party is at Brad Stevens house, so we should either ride together or maybe just take one more car because parking may be a little tight."

"Ok, I can drive. You want to ride with me Penny?" Beth asked her friend

Penny was happy Beth wanted to take her car, because Penny wanted to make sure she got home tonight. "That would be great Beth" Penny answered and they all headed to the cars.

Brad Stevens was the main male star of the Vampire show Todd had worked on and they had become friendly. Brad was noted for being a party guy, so Todd leaving, turned out to be a great excuse to have another party. When Penny, Beth and Todd, got there, in their two cars, the party had already started and there were already a couple of girls, with the smallest bikinis, in Brad's pool teasing some of the guys. Penny had heard of these types of Hollywood parties, but she was a little surprised that everything she heard was turning out to be true.

Todd at first tried to introduce Penny and Beth to all the cast of the show, which he could tell really excited them. Some of the other actors were nice to them, but a few couldn't be bothered and walked away as soon as they were introduced. There was alcohol everywhere, and Penny thought she saw some people doing coke in one of the side rooms. Penny had smoked grass when she was younger, but harder drugs still scared her, so she was a little nervous about the whole party, but she still tried to make the best of it.

Todd tried to keep both girls wine glasses full, but Penny really seemed not to be drinking very much and it took her over an hour to finish one glass. Todd kept trying to get Penny separated from Beth, so he could get her alone and maybe a little more drunk, but the girls seemed to stick together all of the time. Penny also seemed a little nervous sometimes, which he didn't know if it was good or bad. Suddenly Todd thought of a plan to get them separated, Beth was a makeup girl and his show had a special effects makeup guy, who was pretty good looking and was here.

"Beth, I would like you to meet Jack." Todd said to Beth, as he walked up with Jack Rollin. "He does all the special effects makeup for the show." Todd and Jack smiled. "Jack, Beth is a makeup artist too."

Beth thought Jack was cute, so when he asked her a couple of questions, she immediately wandered off to talk to him. Todd's plan was working great.

"Penny, freshen your drink or would you like something a little stronger?" Todd asked the now alone Penny.

Penny looked at her friend Beth talking and flirting with Jack and thought of Leonard. It was after 9 PM, she saw the celebrities, she was tired, she wanted Leonard and she didn't want to drink anymore. "Todd, I just want to go home, now." Penny said flatly to him.

Todd was surprised, he didn't want her to go yet. "Penny, the party is just starting", as he pointed out outside at the girls in the pool topless. He figured it would give Penny incentive to stay for the fun about to come. He was wrong.

Penny looked where Todd, was pointing and saw three girls in the pool already half naked and another on the deck taking off her top. Penny really wanted to go now, she was not doing any of that, Leonard wouldn't want her to and she wouldn't hurt Leonard by doing it. Plus she didn't want to be with any of these guys, she wanted Leonard, so she didn't feel like she needed to do anything for anyone here.

Penny looked at Todd, "I really want to go home. I going to talk to Beth." Penny told him.

Todd was getting upset, she was walking away from him. He had to get control of the situation or she was going to be gone and he would end up with one of the regular's at the party, which bored him, he wanted something new. Then he got an idea.

"Penny, Beth doesn't look like she wants to go. I could take you back to your car, if you like." Todd told her, trying to sound sincere

Penny looked at Beth, and Todd was right, she looked like she was having fun and wouldn't want to go. "Ok, let me just tell her I'm leaving." she told him.

Penny told Beth she was leaving and Beth told her she wanted to stay a little longer, so Penny wished her luck and goodnight. Penny then followed Todd out to his car and got in the two seat convertible, a 350Z, racing replica model. Todd then took off down the road to the studio, at least that is what Penny thought. Penny was more concerned about how Todd was driving, then where he was going right now.

Todd had it all planned out, his apartment was almost on the way to the studio, where Penny's car was, so he was going to head there and make an excuse that he had to stop there first. When he got there, he would get Penny into his apartment, then turn on the old charm and charm her right out of her panties. He always scored when he got them in his apartment.

Penny was wondering how much Todd had to drink, he was driving too fast and really bad. She had driven with drunk men before, but she had been drunk too, now she was realizing how dangerous that was. She was getting a little scared and was thinking about having him pull over and just getting a cab. They were going down this long straight road and he was going at least 20 over the speed limit, with a big stupid grin on his face, when she saw the pickup truck. It pulled on the street, right in front of them, from a side street, not caring what traffic was already on the road. Todd was going too fast and he didn't seem to notice. He had been looking at her more than watching the road.

"TODD THE TRUCK!" Penny yelled and pointed, but it was too late. The last thoughts Penny had before they hit were that she may never see Leonard again.

The quiet California night was shattered, with the sound of ripping metal and plastic, as the ton and a half sports car hit the four ton pickup truck, in the rear end.


	48. Chapter 48

**Thanks for all the reviews I got from the last chapter. I think I can safely say, for all the writers in fan fiction, that the reviews are our reward for the stories we post.**

Chapter 48

Todd had saw the truck too late, he was going over 70 MPH, too fast to stop, but he still mashed down on the brakes of his car. The massive Brembo racing brake calibers clamped hard on the huge racing disks and the car began to slow very quickly, saving them from the certainty of death. Todd's car was only going 30 MPH faster than the truck when they hit, however the small car contacted the truck's massive right rear bumper, and it was still like hitting a steel wall. The impact crushed part of the left front of the car, then caused it to spin to the right, away from the truck. The car spun 180 degrees, ending up facing the opposite direction, on the other side of the street, finally stopping against a light pole and breaking it off. The truck driver slowed for a second, the truck hardly damaged, then the truck driver drove off, not wanting to stay around because he knew he caused the accident. There was a service station close by, and several people who saw the accident, one of them dialed 911, and a few cars began to stop to see if they could help.

When they hit, Penny was thrown forward, then stopped by the seat belt, which bruised her and knocked the wind out of her. The next sensation she felt was the impact of the airbags that slammed her back into the seat and pushed her towards the center of the car, from the side. Her head was then pinned against the headrest as the car spun and finally jarred to a stop when they hit the pole, throwing her towards the center or the car, bruising her left leg against the gearshift lever. The spinning also caused Penny to slide down in the seat and her forehead to rub hard against the seatbelt causing it to bleed. Penny was now slouched down in the seat, stunned, and hurting, she had put her arm out in front of her and when the airbag went off it twisted it, so now it hurt to move it. It hurt to move at all and she had blood getting into her right eye from the bad brush cuts on her forehead. She didn't know how bad she was, so she just sat there hoping someone would come by quickly to help her.

Leonard was getting off his plane in California, his trip home turning out to be faster than he would have imagined. The pilot told them, after takeoff from Switzerland, that the winds, at altitude, were very light on their route home so he expected to be in early, and he was right, their flight was early. Once in Chicago, they went through customs very quickly and then when he checked in, with the airline, they were able to get him onto an earlier flight to California, because he had his bags with him. He was now getting off the airplane, in California, almost 2 hours earlier than he expected, so he hurried to baggage, then out to his car, so he could get to Penny's apartment, before it got too late. He laughed to himself, as he drove, he was going to have fun surprising her.

Penny and Todd were rushed to the hospital in separate ambulances and were now in separate rooms being treated. Penny knew, by the way everyone was talking, in the emergency room, that she was in no danger, but Todd was in really bad shape. They had stabilized her quickly, then left a nurse to watch over her, because the doctors needed to devote almost all their time on getting Todd stabilized.

When she had first come in, the doctor had quickly checked on her, gave the nurse a couple of instructions, told Penny about her condition, and then quickly left. The short time the doctor was in her room, he had told her she was cut and bruised, and he was pretty sure her wrist was broken, plus her arm was badly sprained. The doctor didn't think she had a serious head injury, but they were keeping the brace on till they did x-rays on her arm and head, so she had to wait for that. Penny now laid on the gurney, with the neck brace on, while the nurse stopped her minor bleeding and cleaned her up a little.

Todd was much worse than Penny, he actually had a bad concussion and his leg had a compound fracture from the impact. The side airbags had already deflated by the time Todd's car had spun and hit the pole, so his head had hit part of the pole when it broke and he actually had a fractured skull, plus his brain was traumatized. The doctors were very worried about his head injury, because he had brain swelling and they were prepping him for an operation to remove the pressure. Todd was in critical condition, so all the emergency room personnel and assets were being used to save his life.

Leonard had just got up to the fourth floor, and went directly to Penny's apartment and knocked. After a couple of minutes, with no answer, he knocked again, a little harder, thinking she might be asleep, but again nobody answered. Leonard was now confused and was wondering where she was, so he thought he would ask Sheldon, if he knew anything. Leonard went over to Sheldon's apartment, knocked and then was surprised when Sheldon immediately opened the door.

"Hello, Dr Hofstadter, I presume." Sheldon said, way too formally

"Hi Sheldon. Do you know where Penny is?" Leonard asked, ignoring the mood Sheldon was obviously in.

"No, she has been in and out, at all hours this week, presumably because of that TV show she is working on. I really haven't tried to keep track of her." Sheldon stated matter-of-factly.

Leonard felt himself immediately get a little upset with Sheldon, he had asked him, before he left, to watch over Penny, which Sheldon seemed to have completely ignored. He felt like yelling at him, but realized it would do no good, and he did want to wait in his apartment, for a little bit, so making Sheldon mad wouldn't help, he just sighed and asked, "Can I wait here, until Penny comes in?"

"I suppose, but if you stay for longer than half a day, we will have to have a temporary roommate agreement, because you voided the old one when you left." Sheldon told him, then turned and went back into the apartment.

"Ok, whatever you say." Leonard told him, slowly shaking his head. Leonard rolled his suitcase into Sheldon's apartment and sat down. As he sat down, he noticed Sheldon go back to his spot to watch the science fiction show, he had been watching, not even acknowledging that Leonard was back.

Two hours later, a doctor finally came back to check on Penny, Todd was out of the emergency room and was now being operated on, so they now had time for her. The emergency room doctor was looking at Penny's chart and the blood test information, from the blood they took, when she first got in. The doctor was frowning as he read the results, then looked at Penny, obviously with a little disappointed look.

"Miss you should have told us you were pregnant when we started treating you." the doctor said to Penny.

Penny just stared at him, stunned, "I'm not pregnant."

The doctor looked at the chart again, "Miss the results of the qualitative hCG blood testsays differently. We perform this test on all women who come in here, when we expect to take x-rays and your's says your pregnant."

"I can't be pregnant. I take the pill." Penny explained to the doctor.

"You didn't know?" the doctor paused for a minute, to think, "I'm sorry miss but nothing is 100 percent effective, there is always the chance of getting pregnant when you have sex. Even if you take the pill, if for some reason don't take your pill consistently every day, your chances of pregnancy goes up. Anyway you are pregnant." the doctor told her.

Penny was speechless, it was just not possible, when did she get pregnant? 'Oh My God' she thought, she was pregnant, she was pregnant with Leonard's baby, there was no doubt about it at all, it was Leonard's. What would she tell Leonard, 'Oh My God' what was she going to tell him.

The doctor watched her, she laid there wide eyed, not saying a thing, "Miss, we still need to get some x-ray pictures of you arm and head, so we will put lead pads on your body to protect the baby." The doctor then wrote some information, passed it to the nurse, who then rolled the gurney, Penny was on, to x-ray. Penny hardly noticed the pain in her arm, when they moved it, to x-ray it, she was so shocked about being pregnant. She barely realized when she was done and rolled back into the emergency room.

Leonard waited in Sheldon's apartment for a couple of hours then got his phone out to call Bernadette, maybe she knew where Penny was. He was worried, because it was starting to get late, and he was now thinking surprising her had not been such a good idea.

Bernadette was sitting, cuddled up to Howard, watching one of the few movies they both liked, when her phone rang. She almost didn't answer it, then to her surprise she saw it was Leonard. She thought, 'Leonard?'

Bernadette answered, "Leonard are you still in Switzerland?"

"Hi Bernadette, I came home early and wanted to surprise everyone, especially Penny, but she is not home and I tried calling her, but her phone seems to be off. Do you know where she is?" Leonard asked, obvious concern in his voice.

"Well when I talked to her yesterday, she told me she was going to a studio party, with a work friend tonight, so she is probably still there." Bernadette looked at the clock, it wasn't too late.

"Ok, I was just worried, if you hear from her, let her know I'm here and ask her to call me." Leonard said still concerned.

"I will Leonard and welcome back. Call us tomorrow." Bernadette told him.

"I will, thanks, Good Bye." Leonard hung up.

"Good Bye." Bernadette said then hung up. Bernadette looked at the clock again, and thought that Penny would probably be home any minute.

"Was that Leonard?" Howard asked his wife.

"Yes he came back early, to surprise Penny, but Penny went to a party tonight and isn't home." Bernadette thought 'What is Penny doing?' Then to her husband, "I really hope she is just running late." Bernadette then tried Penny's cell phone and it went right to voice mail.

The young nurse's aid, tried to get as much information before she called. Her boyfriend was working at one of the newspapers, in the entertainment section, as a junior reporter, and this kind of information is just what he wanted. Her boyfriend answered on the second ring, "Honey you'll never guess who was in an auto accident with his pregnant girlfriend, Todd Stewart!" The nurses aid said to him, then proceeded to give him all the information she knew.

Penny was laying in the emergency room again, when the doctor came in with her x-rays. "Well it is just what we thought, I don't see a concussion, but you do have a fractured wrist. We'll fix everything up on you, but we want to keep you overnight, for observation, because of you had a head blow and that you are pregnant."

Penny was still in disbelief about being pregnant, so she just nodded at the doctor. The doctor and nurse helped her off with her neck brace then immobilized and wrapped her arm. The nurse then fixed up her cuts and while she was working, another doctor came in.

"Your boyfriend is out of surgery, and the surgery went well. He is still critical, but he appears stable, we'll know more in 24 hours. We had to put him in a coma to help him heal, so you can't see him yet. But I think he is going to be Ok, everything is looking good." the doctor told Penny, giving her a little smile.

Penny really wasn't to interested about Todd, the asshole who almost got her killed, she didn't want him to die, but he wasn't her problem. She was still thinking about being pregnant, so Penny just nodded, at the doctor's information. The doctor smiled again, then left.

Penny was finished up by the nurse, when another nurse came in with a machine. "Hi, I'm from the pediatric department. The doctor wanted to know how far along you were, with the baby, and check on your baby's condition, so I am going to give you a quick sonogram, OK." the nurse said.

Penny nodded, she wanted to know too. It did not seem real and maybe this sonogram would make it feel real to her. The nurse set up the machine quickly, then put the gel on her belly, and turned on the machine. As soon as she touched the wand to Penny's belly, Penny could hear the heartbeat, the heartbeat of her and Leonard's baby. She couldn't explain the emotions she felt, shock, happiness, fear or something else completely, but she knew for sure now, she was pregnant.

"Well the heart is strong and everything looks normal, so that is very good. It looks like the trauma you went through didn't effect your baby. You should see your doctor soon to have a more detailed checkup, but we are done for now." The nurse said with a smile, as she packed up her equipment.

It was real, she was really pregnant, she had heard her baby's heartbeat, "How old is my baby?" Penny asked, her voice barely audible. She needed to know.

"Well this equipment, I'm using is portable, your Pediatrician will have more accurate equipment, but it looks like you are eight to nine weeks along." the nurse said with a smile.

"Thank You." Penny managed to get out, she was feeling very emotional right now. She was going to be a mommy, 'Oh My God', she was going to be a child's mother, her, Penny! She was overwhelmed, she felt unprepared for it all, she had no idea what to do and that scared the hell out of her. She touched her belly, with her good hand, and she was in awe, at the thought, that a human being was growing there, inside her.

Penny was rolled up to a room, after the pediatric nurse left. They had given her pain medication and she was getting tired. When she finally got settled in her hospital bed, she laid there, thinking about her baby, she was scared, she didn't know what to do now and she really needed to talk to Leonard. She thought back, eight to nine weeks ago was before Leonard left for Switzerland, before they went to Las Vegas, before they broke up. Then she remembered, it was around the right time, it had been one of the few weekends she had off, she was working so much, and Leonard wanted to take her away for a weekend, so they gone to San Diego and stayed by the beach. She had forgotten her birth control pills, so Leonard got condoms, and the second day, it had been so wonderful with him, magical with him. That day led to evening, they were very happy and in love, so that night they made love a couple of times and once the condom broke. When she got home, the next day, she took her pill, and never thought anymore of it, who would have thought she would get pregnant. As she lay there thinking, she began to worry, she really didn't know what Leonard would say, when she told him, they were still in an awkward place and she didn't know what he would do. Leonard was a great guy, but she had put him through a lot, the last couple of years, so now she was not sure how he would react. She was thinking about all this, when the drugs fully kicked in and she drifted off to sleep.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

_**Here are a few comments about Penny's baby. I had planned for her to be pregnant the whole story, that is why she was sick in chapter 1. I also gave her pregnancy symptoms throughout the story, like being tired and going to bed early, her emotions, which were running wild, and a very little bit of pregnancy sickness. Concerning her drinking, she only drank heavily once and that was in Las Vegas, in chapter one she got sick after a few glasses of wine, in Switzerland she only had a couple of glasses and finally, at the party, she only had two glasses. So she was not really drinking a lot, except for the one night in Las Vegas. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, we are much closer to the end, now, then the beginning.**_

Nancy got a call from Todd's agent at about 5 AM, explaining what happened. He basically told her that Todd had been involved in a hit-and-run, was very badly hurt, and had some girl, he picked up, in the car with him. Since Nancy represented the Studio, Todd was working for, Todd's agent needed to get her help to contain the mess, which Nancy was use to doing, it was part of her job. Nancy was dressed and at the hospital by 6:30 AM that morning, Todd's agent, Max Jordan, was there to greet her.

Max had given the hospital administrator paperwork which allowed him to handle matters concerning Todd's information and so he immediately requested that he know about and see the girl Todd was with. The hospital administration was happy to work with Max concerning Todd, but would not tell them anything about Penny, since they had no such paperwork from Max on her. The treating doctor explained Todd's situation to Max and Nancy, then the both of them went into the waiting room to talk. As they talked, the TV in the waiting room, went to a news announcement, about Todd and Penny's accident.

Leonard hadn't slept for over 24 hours so when he laid on Sheldon's couch, late Friday night, to rest his eyes while waiting for Penny, he never realized it when a moment later he fell into a deep sleep. He had been out for 7 hours when he was woken by Sheldon.

"Leonard, get up! You're in my spot!" Sheldon shouted, standing over Leonard

"Ok, Ok, I'm moving." Leonard said while he pulled himself over to the other side of the couch. He was still so tired, his mind had not fully come awake yet.

Sheldon, turned on the TV, to the channel that played Dr Who, every Saturday morning, and grunted when he found there was a special news report on about a car crash and some actor 'Todd Stewart' being in critical condition and his girlfriend being hurt too. When they said the girlfriend's name, Sheldon looked directly over at Leonard.

Leonard was rubbing his eyes, when he heard Penny's name on the TV, making his mind instantly become alert. The special report was over and the channel Sheldon was on was going to resume the Dr Who show, where they left off, when Leonard grabbed the remote control and started to look for more news, his mind shutting out Sheldon's protests. When he located another station with the news, he found out that, Todd Stewart, the popular actor from the Vampire shows, had been in a major accident, was in serious condition, and with him, also hurt, was his girlfriend, who they said was Penny. Leonard was stunned, he didn't know what to think, this just didn't make sense, he had to talk to Penny, but the news didn't say which hospital she was in.

Nancy watched the news report and was surprised to find out the girl Todd was with was Penny. That was good and bad, good because she had signed paperwork from Penny covering situations like this and bad because this was probably going to be a scandal. Nancy called her assistant, to come to the hospital with Penny's paperwork, then explained the situation with Max.

A little over a hour later, a nurse came in to Penny's room, to take her vitals, and ask if it was alright if Nancy Wood could visit. Nancy entered ten minutes later, per Penny's permission, to talk to her.

"Penny how are you feeling?" Nancy asked, seeing that Penny had a bandage over her forehead and two black eyes.

"Well they say I'm not hurt very bad, but I hurt all over right now." Penny responded honestly.

"Penny, if you don't mind, we need to come up with a plan to handle the publicity associated with this situation. The press are already outside the hospital trying to get information." Nancy told her as gently as she could.

"That doesn't sound good. They said I could leave soon and I don't want to talk to the press." Penny said, then sighed.

Penny then described all that had happened over the last 18-hours to Nancy and the injuries she sustained, she didn't tell Nancy she was pregnant. Nancy told her how she planned to get Penny out of the hospital and told her she needed to find some place to stay, away from her apartment, for a little while. Nancy described her entire plan to Penny who nodded in agreement, then Nancy called her assistant to get the plan into action, and Penny used the room phone to call Bernadette.

Bernadette just got off the phone with Penny, she was going to meet the car, they were going move Penny from the hospital with, in an hour and then Penny was going to stay with Bernadette for a while. It only took Bernadette about a second to decide to call Leonard and tell him what was happening.

Leonard's phone rang and he saw it was Bernadette, he had to talk to some one who wasn't Sheldon, so he quickly answered. "Bernadette did you hear about Penny? I don't know where she is or how she is." Leonard said quickly.

"Leonard, I am picking her up in about an hour, she is OK, just banged up a little. The worse she got was a broken wrist, but she said that is really isn't too bad. She is Ok Leonard." Bernadette said, trying to calm Leonard.

"Where is she Bernadette?" Leonard asked in desperation.

"Leonard, they are going to get her out of the hospital, behind the backs of the press, they don't want us there." Bernadette tried to explain to him.

"Bernadette…" Leonard started to plead

"Leonard, get your butt over here and we can go together to pick her up." Bernadette said, knowing what he wanted. "Also pick up a few things from her apartment, she is going to stay with me for probably a week."

"Thanks Bernadette." Leonard then hung up, and headed out the door to Penny's apartment to pack her a bag.

Nancy walked along side the nurse as they rolled a disguised Penny to the hospital loading docks where a car with tinted windows waited. Once the car left the hospital, it took a very round about route around Pasadena, to make sure it wasn't being followed, until it came to a certain location in the Mall's parking lot to quickly transfer Penny to Bernadette's car. The car then as quickly drove off, so as not to be associated with the car Penny was in now.

Penny was very sore, but she only had to go about five feet from the car, she was in, to the back door of Bernadette's car, so she mustered all her strength and moved between the cars as fast as she could. If anyone had asked Penny, during her trip, what she wanted most at that minute, when she got in the back seat of Bernadette's car, she got exactly what she wanted, Leonard sitting there waiting for her. The relief she felt at seeing him was indescribable, she was so happy to see him.

"Leonard…" Penny barely got out before she wrapped her arms around his neck and started to cry.

Leonard was trying to be strong and not cry with her. When she got in the seat, he had a quick glimpse of her and she looked like someone had beaten the hell out of her. She had a bandage on her forehead and two black eyes, her arm was in a cast, she still had blood on her blouse and she was obviously in a little pain by the way she moved. He felt so bad for her and was so happy she was in his arms, so he could protect her now.

Leonard got a seatbelt around Penny and they just held each other quietly all the way back to Bernadette's apartment. Howard and Bernadette were in the front seats, but said nothing, letting Leonard and Penny hold each other in peace and quiet. When they arrived, they quickly got Penny into the apartment, so no one saw her, and then got her into the bedroom so she could change, with Leonard's help.

"I brought you some clothes and pajamas, you should probably put on the pajamas, you look tired." Leonard told Penny as he lead her into the bedroom.

"Yes, I am tired, I will put on the pajamas. Can you help me?" Penny asked Leonard, who wanted nothing more than to help her and hold her.

After Leonard helped Penny strip out of her bloody clothes and underwear, he gasped at her body and the bruises. Penny's left leg had a bruise from just below the knee to almost the top of her thigh, and her chest and breast were both largely bruised. Penny also had smaller bruises on several other places on her body and Leonard winced thinking how sore she was probably feeling. He got her new panties on and helped her put her long pajamas on, finally putting her robe over everything.

"Penny do you want to lie down now." Leonard asked her, thinking she must be really hurting.

"In a minute. I want a drink and I want to tell you all what happened. I want you all to know the truth." Penny said to him.

"Penny, you don't have to do that." Leonard responded

"No, I need to." Penny told him, so he helped her to Bernadette's couch.

Bernadette got Penny some tea and then Penny told them about the party, the crash, drunk Todd, and what Nancy told her in the hospital. She looked directly at Leonard and told him that nothing happened between her and Todd, he was only giving her a ride and she didn't realize how drunk he was. She also told Leonard, in front of Bernadette and Howard, that she loved him and that he was the only man for her. She talked for about 30 minutes then said she was real tired and wanted to sleep for a little while.

Leonard listened to her, embarrassed that he felt relief, upon hearing her story. He knew in his heart that Penny didn't cheat on him and now hearing her and seeing her, it confirmed that feeling for him. But Penny's mental condition still bothered him, she had not let him out of her sight since she saw him in the car. Also, she was always touching him or holding him, almost like he was her security blanket, which he didn't object to at all, but it did seem that something else was bothering her.

"Bernadette, is it Ok if Leonard stays here too." Penny asked her friend, as she got up to go to the bedroom, holding on to Leonard's hand.

"Of course." Bernadette said with a smile.

Penny looked at Leonard, "Will you hold me, while I sleep some?" she asked him, her eyes were pleading to him.

"I was hoping you ask me." Leonard told her, smiling, then went into the bedroom with her.

Leonard helped Penny get into bed and put the covers over her, Penny laid on her right side, because it was the least damaged side of her body. Leonard got her a couple of her pain tablets and water for her to wash them down, then after she was finished he got in the bed with her. Penny scooted close to him and Leonard gently put his arms around her and helped her get into a comfortable position.

Penny felt better with Leonard holding her and she decided she needed to tell him now. "Leonard don't be mad at me." Penny said to him, this was one of the scariest things she had ever done in her life.

"Mad, why would I be mad, you did nothing wrong." Leonard answered.

Penny was scared, but she had to go on, "There was something else, I didn't tell you all when I was on the couch." Penny said softly.

"What is that?" Leonard said, now getting a little nervous himself

"I'm pregnant." Penny said so quietly Leonard almost didn't hear.

After all that had happened that morning, Penny's telling him she was pregnant was a big shock and Leonard tensed up. He didn't know what to say, he was so surprised. He laid there, his mind racing, trying to sort his feelings and the feeling that stood out the most was, he was happy.

Penny had felt him tense up and was terrified, she thought she was loosing him. The longer he remained silent and more scared she got, her eyes were now tearing up. "Please Leonard say something." she croaked out.

Penny's words made Leonard realize he had not said anything and that it was upsetting her. He immediately relaxed and cuddled her a little closer, then he chuckled, "We're going to be a family." he kissed the back of her head, "You know you are amazing." he kissed her head again, "I love you both, so much." he finally said, his voice dripping with emotion.

Penny smiled through the tears, she loved that he said they were going to be a family, that was perfect. "Leonard, you're not mad then?" she asked him, she needed reassurance right now.

"No love-bug, I'm not mad, I am happy." Leonard told her, a tear falling down his cheek.

"Me too." Penny told him.

"Penny, if we are having a child, I think we should get married, don't you." Leonard said, hoping she was ready.

"Are you sure you want to marry me, Honey?" Penny asked, hoping he would say yes.

"Penny, I have wanted to marry you for longer than you would believe. Will you marry me?" Leonard asked her, hoping she would say yes.

"Yes, I want to marry you so bad Leonard." Penny told him, and then she tried to twist around and kiss him.

Penny's sudden movement caused her pain and she winced, scaring Leonard for a moment. He backed away from her, so she was able to lie on her back, then she put her arms around his neck and pulled him to her lips. They kissed for a little while, then the drugs, Penny took, started to make her real sleepy, so her and Leonard got back in a comfortable position, for her, and she went to sleep. Leonard laid awake for a few minutes longer thinking about all that had happened that morning and that he was going to be a father, which made him smile. He was really happy, even though things were crazy right now, everything seemed right in the world to him, and he never felt so happy in his life, as he felt now. Leonard laid there smiling, finally getting sleepy himself and then succumbing to his own jet lag and falling asleep holding his soon to be wife and mother of his child.

Bernadette and Howard sat on the couch silently, both lost in their own thoughts. Bernadette had gotten really close to Penny over the last month, and she thought of her like a sister, so her being hurt, bothered Bernadette a lot. However, seeing how Penny and Leonard were now, warmed her heart, they were so made for each other.

"Penny was sure banged up. I've seen guys beat up by gangs that looked better than she does right now. I'm surprised they didn't keep her in the hospital." Howard said, to break the silence.

"Except for her broken wrist, Penny said they told her there was nothing seriously wrong. Also, I think being with Leonard now, is probably the best medicine for her." Bernadette responded.

Howard thought for a moment, "I don't know how Leonard does it? I would be going crazy if that was you." Howard said, almost to himself.

Bernadette looked at her wonderful husband, walked over to him, got in his lap, and gave him a kiss. "Howie, have I told you I love you, today?" Bernadette told him, as she broke the kiss.

"Yes, but every time you say it, it seems special. I love you a lot too, Bernie." Howard told her.

"Howie, I think I'm a little tired too. Would you like to take a nap with me?" Bernadette told her husband, she had a very seductive little smile on her face.

"I was hoping you ask me." Howard said, imitating Leonard, which made them both giggle.

Bernadette got off Howard's lap and grabbed his hand, leading him to their bedroom. The living room in their apartment was a very quiet empty place for the next few hours.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Rick Robinson, had to get more information for his story. His girlfriend, Kelly, the nurses aid, had given him all the hospital information but he needed more. He had been waiting at the hospital all day for a press conference and interview with Todd Stewart's girlfriend, but now he found out she had been moved out of the hospital, undercover, to avoid the press. That really made Rick mad, because he had held back the information about her being pregnant so he could surprise everybody at the news conference with the information. So now Rick had to really work to find out more about this mysterious Penelope.

Nancy and Max were working damage control in a big way. Getting Penny hidden away had turned out to be only a small part of what they had to do, Brad Stevens' party had been a public relations nightmare. The party had gotten completely out of hand by midnight, most of the people there either drunk or high, and not too concerned about what they were doing. The police showed up and what they found was something between a typical wild Hollywood party and a porn movie, plus they found a lot of drugs. Most, almost all, of the girls there, had lost part of their clothing and probably half were either topless or nude. Every bedroom had a minimum of two couples having sex or worse, and there was even a gangbang going on in one of them, with a beautiful young wasted starlet. Things were bad, but it got even worse, when the police started ID'ing people from the party, they found that one of the girls in one of the bedrooms, having sex, was 3 months short of her 18th birthday. Now some of the major networks were sniffing around, looking for a good story on the corruption and depravity of Hollywood.

Rick showed up at Penny's apartment and knocked, really not expecting anyone to answer and he was not disappointed. Rick decided to do something else, he knew you could sometimes get good information from neighbors and there was one other apartment on this floor, so he went to 4A and knocked. Rick was surprised when the door immediately opened and this tall slender man greeted him.

"What do you want." Sheldon said. "Penny's not here."

Rick smiled, he knew her. "I'm from the newspaper, I'm a reporter and I wanted to get some information about Penny." Rick said and showed Sheldon his credentials

"I'm sorry, I don't have time for this and I can't understand your paper being so interested in lesser minds." Sheldon said dismissively

Rick was a pretty good judge of people and this guy had a very high opinion of himself, so he wondered if he stroked his ego, maybe he could find out something about his neighbor. "Well we try to do stories on all things that are important and the public is interested about. Did you have something that is interesting, to talk about?"

Rick spent the next hour listening to Dr Sheldon Cooper, from Cal Tech, who just so happened to know Penelope, no Penny, very well. While Dr Cooper talked about his work in Theoretical Physics, Rick was able to coax little tidbits about Penny from him. He found out she was an aspiring actress, a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory and a little 'Hottie" who had dated a lot of men. He also found out she had slept with a lot of those men, and Dr Cooper even gave him approximate numbers, which pleased Rick immensely. Rick could see tomorrows headlines, 'Todd Stewart gets his tramp girlfriend pregnant, was the car crash a suicide attempt?' Todd was about done with Dr Cooper, he just wanted to find out about this ex-boyfriend, Kurt, before he left him to gloat in his self-importance.

Penny woke slowly, still wrapped in Leonard's arms, she lay there motionless, comfortable and happy because she was laying with her future husband. Her husband, it sounded so good to her, she was going to be Mrs Penny Hofstadter, the sound of it just made her smile. The worries she had over the last 24 hours about the baby and if Leonard would want her, were all gone, ancient history, today was the first day of her new life. She didn't know how long she had laid there, but after a little while she felt Leonard stir beside her.

"Leonard are you awake?" Penny said very quietly

"Yeah, did you get enough sleep?" he asked, the concern in his voice evident to Penny

"Yes honey, I'm feeling a lot better now, but I have to pee." Penny told him

Leonard helped her up, she was still stiff and sore, and walked her to the bathroom, then was about to walk out, but she wouldn't let go of his hand. Penny looked at him, with that same pleading look in her eyes, and he didn't know what to do.

"Penny, what's wrong?" Leonard asked her, trying to voice it as gently as he could.

A tear formed in Penny eye, "I don't know." the tear was now rolling down her cheek, "I am so afraid of letting you go, and I can't stand the thought of not being able to see you." she told him, her voice cracking.

Leonard didn't understand it, but he loved her so much, so he was just going to do everything she wanted, he didn't want her to be upset. Leonard sat down on the edge of the bath tube, while Penny pulled down her pajama pants and went, never letting go of his hand or taking her eyes off of him. After she was finished they went to the living room to find Howard and Bernadette sitting and watching the news, which as soon as they saw Penny they turned off.

Bernadette didn't know how to say it, she was so nervous and she didn't know if Leonard knew, but he needed to know, because it was all over the news. "Penny, are you…" Bernadette couldn't get the words out.

Penny, knew what Bernadette was asking, just by looking at her face. "Yes, I'm pregnant." Penny told her and Howard.

What really surprised Bernadette, was Leonard. "I'm going to be a father!" he said with a huge smile.

Bernadette relaxed and then got a big smile on her face, Penny and Leonard were both now smiling, and for the second time today, Bernadette was really happy for them. "Congratulations." she told them.

"Your really having a baby?" Howard asked, now that the awkwardness was over. "Boy or Girl?" he asked.

"They told me it is only 8 to 9 weeks old, so it is too early yet." Penny told them, then she looked over at Leonard and could see he was calculating when it happened. "Sweetie, the San Diego weekend." she told him with a smile.

Leonard smiled, "Oh yeah, if it was at any time that has to be it, and I don't mean because of the date." he teased her.

"You dog!" Penny said in mock shock, as she bumped against him, immediately regretting it.

"Yeah, but I need to be careful." she told him as he put his arm around her. Penny cuddled into him, "But after that remark, I think I remember that you are not suppose to have sex when your pregnant, so I guess you are cut off, mister." she said, trying to tease him.

"In reality, pregnant women are said to become hornier than their men, the bigger they get, and crave sex. Something about the hormones." Howard told her.

"Howard!" Bernadette said, and gave Howard a little jab in the ribs, which only made him laugh.

"Really." Leonard said while looking at Penny, "See you better be nice to me or I'll cut you off." he said, teasing her more.

Penny cuddled closer to him, "Awe, would deny this face, I'm adorable." she said as she tried to look cute, which made them all laugh, because she had a bandage on her head and two black eyes.

However, to Penny's surprise, Leonard suddenly got serious, "No I guess not. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. I couldn't deny you anything." he said as he leaned down to kiss her nose.

Penny did everything in her power to prevent the happy tears from flowing and ruining the moment. She looked into his eyes, how did she ever get so lucky to find him, she was never going to let him go.

The rest of the evening Bernadette, Howard, Leonard and Penny sat around an talked and watched a little TV. Howard and Leonard went out to get Chinese takeout, because that is what Penny felt like eating, and left the girls alone for a little while. Penny couldn't help but feel a little nervous, she didn't know why, but Leonard being gone bothered her. Bernadette noticed and tried to get her involved in a conversation, to keep her mind occupied. The conversation quickly centered around Penny and Leonard and their relationship.

"How did Leonard take you being pregnant?" Bernadette asked.

"He was wonderful Bernadette, he told me he was happy and we were going to be a family, then he said he loved us both." Penny told her, the last part almost making her cry.

"That is so sweet and so Leonard. He'll make a great dad." Bernadette told Penny.

"He will, won't he." Penny said with a dreamy look on her face.

Bernadette smiled, "Well have you made any plans?" she asked

"Well we are going to have to plan the wedding." Penny said and then waited for Bernadette's response.

"You two are going to get married!" Bernadette exclaimed, and when she got a smile and head nod from Penny, she jumped up so she could hug her, both girls squealing in happiness.

Leonard had Howard stop at Raj's house before they picked up the food, Leonard had something to get. Raj greeted them and while Howard told him what was happening, Leonard moved his boxes to find the right one, with the object he desired. When he found it, he practically tore it open and went through the contents quickly, until he found the black velvet box. He sighed, he wasn't sure he would ever use it, but now everything was just so perfect, and she had already said 'Yes', so it now was only a formality.

The ride back to the apartment, with the food, seemed so long to Leonard, he was so nervous. She had said 'Yes', why was he so nervous, then he realized it was the ring, the ring made it final and until she accepted the ring it wasn't real. He wanted to see the ring on her finger, he couldn't believe how badly he wanted to see the ring on her finger, he wouldn't be able to relax now until that moment and some small part of him hoped she hadn't changed her mind.

The girls were still on the couch talking when Howard walked in with the food, Leonard slowly following him. While Howard put the food on the counter, Leonard stood there looking at Penny, sweat dripping down his back. He knew what he needed to do but his legs wouldn't move.

"What's wrong honey?" Penny looked at him with concern. She had watched him ever since he came in the door.

The uncomfortable look on her face, made him move, he didn't want her to be unhappy, today was suppose to be a happy day. Leonard walked the couple of steps to Penny, then got on one knee, taking the small box out of his pocket.

"Oh My God." Bernadette said, watching them, she put her hand to her mouth and tears were already forming in her eyes. She felt Howard's arms wrap around her and she just laid her head on one of his arms, staring at the scene unfolding in front of her.

"Penny, I was dazzled by you when I first met you years ago and I still can't believe we became best friends. I was totally stunned when you became my girlfriend and wanted to die when we broke up, but I never stopped loving you. When we got back together, I was on cloud nine and I know we had some rough patches just recently, but I want you to know I have always loved you, I have never stopped loving you. I'm not the greatest guy in the world and Lord knows I have a lot of faults, but I promise you I will always be there for you and I will love you forever. Penny would you do me the honor of becoming my wife and marrying me?" Leonard said to Penny while looking deep into her eyes.

Penny had started to tear up as soon as Leonard kneeled down and brought out the box, now they were falling down her face. "Yes, Yes, so much Yes. I love you so much." she said between the tears. She knew she was being very emotional, but she got worse when he open the box and she saw the most beautiful engagement ring she had ever saw, it was the ring she dreamed about all her life, and now it was the ring she would wear for the rest of her life. She barely held it together while he put it on her finger, then, once on and looking at it on her finger, she finally couldn't take it any longer, and started to sob, grabbing him and burying her face in his shoulder.

Bernadette was crying too, the ring was exactly like the one Penny described over a year ago, after Bernadette got engaged. The girls had some wine and talked about their dream engagement rings one night, while looking at Bernadette's ring. Leonard's proposal had been so beautiful and then that ring, it was almost magical.

After a couple of minutes, Penny was able to talk again, a little. Her head was still buried in Leonard's shoulder, "How did you know? How did you know to pick this ring?" Penny asked him.

"Amy is a bad drunk, and when she came over the night you talked about rings, she told Sheldon what you girls were talking about, so I took notes. I found it a few days before that time I proposed to you in bed, when we were having sex, I had it with me, because I was planning to ask you, but the in bed thing sort of got out of my control. I've had it hidden away since, I'm sorry, it's Ok, isn't it?" Leonard told her.

Penny had turned her head to look at him while he talked and the tears had now stopped. "Yes it's Ok, it is wonderful, I love it. I love you." Penny said, then she kissed him.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Rick was outside Kurt's apartment, knocking on his door, when the big man opened it, and surprising Rick by his size. Rick explained who he was, then he asked if Kurt knew Penny and if he was willing to talk about her. Kurt had seen the news and he was ready to talk all about Penny, to anyone who wanted to listen. He even agreed to let Rick record their interview.

"How long have you know Penny?" Rick asked, hoping that this guy at least knew her well.

"She lived off me for over 3 years and I have seen her off and on since." Kurt said smiling

Wow, this was great, Rick thought, "Lived off you, could you explain?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, when I came out here, she begged to come with me, but once out here, she was just a freeloader, taking advantage of my hospitality." Kurt told Rick, enjoying this whole interview. "Your going to put this in the paper, right?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, of course, we are trying to find out her relationship with Todd Stewart, so this background information is very good." Rick told him, trying to boost his ego.

'Good' Kurt thought, "Well she thought that she could just fuck her way to being a movie star, but really she wasn't that good. She would even bring other girls over with her, but the other girls were usually better than her. After a while, I just booted her out, because she was so useless and she just wanted things for sex."

Rick, thought this is great stuff, "How do you think she is making it now? Living in California is still expensive." Rick asked him.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she got some nerds in her apartment building to pay her bills, I even think she fucks one for cash." Kurt said smiling.

What a story this was going to make, Rick thought, Todd Stewart got some gold-digger, maybe almost a prostitute, pregnant then has an accident. Maybe it could even be looked at like a suicide attempt, him stressed over making some bitch pregnant. Rick had some great stuff now, to write about, but he wanted to make sure he got all the trash about this Penny. Rick and Kurt talked for about another half hour, until Rick thought he had everything out of Kurt. When he left, the big man gave him a big smile and shook his hand, wishing him good luck on his story. Rick now had to go back to work this evening, to write his story, he knew the editor would want it in the morning edition, after he read it.

Penny lay in Leonard arms, after everything that had happened, it had been a wonderful day, she couldn't help but stare at her engagement ring, she was so happy. Her and Leonard had just gone to bed, and Leonard had helped her get into a comfortable position, he was so wonderful. She had wanted to lay facing him, so he was now on his back and she was on his left with her head laying on his chest, her head just under his chin, she could hear his heart. He left hand was on his and where she could look at her ring, her right arm in a position not to strain her wrist. It had taken a few minutes, with Leonard moving several times, but now she was comfortable and where she wanted to be. She wished she wasn't so hurt, because she really wanted to make love to him tonight, the first night of them being an engaged couple, but unfortunately that would have to wait. So she just laid there, having to settle for Leonard putting small kisses on her head, and telling her how much he loved her, all which made her content and happy.

The paper Rick worked for had a large entertainment section in their Sunday edition, and this Sunday's paper was full of stories about Todd Stewart and his trampy pregnant girlfriend. To say the articles trashed Penny would be an understatement, they made her look like a gold digging whore, a person who should never be entrusted with a child. The TV networks picked up on the papers story and since they had no facts on the story, they got experts together to editorialize and make horrible comments about poor naïve Todd Stewart, who came to America for a career in acting, and then was preyed on by some skanky Hollywood bitch who probably got pregnant to trap him. They also got some liberal do-gooders, on some of the shows, who suggested that since Penny was probably drinking and taking drugs at the Brad's party, she should be arrested for the protection of the baby. By noon, Penny was know by most people on the west coast as a no good tramp.

Max kept information on Todd to a minimum, only providing his medical condition updates to the press. He would not take questions about Penny or the party, because he wanted to salvage Todd's career, and as long as the press trashed Penny, Todd was safe. Nancy, didn't believe most of what was being said about Penny, but she didn't know the facts and besides Todd was the bigger celebrity, so she had to protect him. With all that was happening and all the slander that was being told by the press, the bottom line was there was no one there to protect Penny.

Penny woke up before Leonard, so she just laid there in his arms trying not to make the slightest move. It was cold and rainy outside and she could hear the soothing rhythm of the raindrops on the window, which was relaxing. The room they were in, was cool, so during the night, after she went to the bathroom, they had repositioned themselves so that Penny was kept warm. Penny was now in her little cocoon, with Leonard's arms around her, her back against his warm chest and then the covers wrapped around them both. It was warm and cozy, she was being cuddled by the man she loved and there was the gentle sounds of the rain falling, she fell back asleep less than ten minutes after she woke up.

Penny and Leonard, had slept till about 11 AM, both getting a very restful sleep, which both of them needed. They laid and talked in bed for another hour, after waking, exchanging several kisses, they finally got out of bed at noon. Penny still had soreness and stiffness, but it was a little bit less than the day before, so she was learning to deal with it and she moved a little better. When they went into the living room, they were greeted by a very serious Howard and Bernadette, Bernadette wiping tears from her eyes. Howard changed the news channel before Penny could see what was on.

"What's wrong?" Leonard asked, a little bit concerned.

"The news has really gone crazy, with your car crash and the party. Penny they keep saying you are pregnant with Todd Stewart's illegitimate baby and now they are speculating that he was trying to commit suicide with the car crash." Bernadette told them.

"What!" Leonard exclaimed, he then calmed himself down, he didn't want to upset Penny. He was holding Penny's hand so he pulled her gently to him and put his arms around her, resting his hands on her stomach. In a gentler voice, "They need to get their facts straight, this is my family, Todd Stewart can go fine his own." Leonard was rewarded with Penny turning her head to give him a smile and a kiss.

Penny looked at Howard and Bernadette, "Could we please not watch the news today. Yesterday turned out to be a wonderful day, I just want it to continue through today, I don't care what the outside world thinks today." Penny again smiled at Leonard. "I need to rest today some more, so I would just like to be lazy, eat, watch TV and cuddle with fiancé all day today. I am selfish, I want today for myself, please." Penny gave them her best puppy dog eyes she could, with two black eyes.

Bernadette, Howard and Leonard all said yes and nodded in unison. They all went to the table and had coffee, pastries, sausage biscuits and fruit, that Bernadette had laid out, enjoying each others company while they talked about nothing and everything, they all enjoyed. They all helped clean up from their brunch, except Penny, who was ordered to the couch, then afterwards they retreated to their bedrooms to get ready for their lazy day.

"Well, I need a shower." Penny told Leonard

"Yeah, me too." Leonard responded

"Really, let me check." Penny walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose into his shoulder. Leonard had a manly musky smell of someone who just gotten up, he had the same smell when they sometimes made love first thing in the morning, when they woke up. His smell was intoxicating to Penny, and she was feeling aroused and she turned her head to kiss his neck. Penny didn't know how Leonard was feeling, but the sexual tension between them was driving her nuts. Every time he touched her, she felt aroused and when she was in his arms, she wanted him to take her so bad, she almost said it out loud. Right now all she could think of was that she wanted to kiss every part of his body, from his toes to the tip of his nose.

"Penny? Honey?" Leonard said softly, finally bringing her out of her trance. "Why don't we take showers, right now?" Leonard suggested. Leonard was a little scared, because first, he was pretty sure she wanted to have sex and she still looked too broken, so he was scared of hurting her. Second, he knew nothing about having sex with a pregnant woman and he was terrified about hurting Penny and the baby. Leonard knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever hurt one of them.

Penny gave Leonard a disappointed look as she pulled back, but she did start to strip away her pajamas, with Leonard's help, to get ready for a shower. Once she was out of her pajamas, the bruises on her body stood out and any little thoughts of having sex with her left Leonard's mind as his concern for hurting her took over. Penny took a couple steps to the shower, then stopped to look at him, a little expression of disapproval on her face.

"Leonard, you have to take a shower with me. I need you to help wash me, I can't really do it myself, very good. Also, can you get the little plastic bag out of my purse, the hospital gave me for showers, to put over my cast." Penny said to him, trying to say it in a way that would persuade him to join her.

Leonard got the bag and quickly stripped off his clothes to follow her into the shower. He got the bag on her cast, and sealed it, then helped her off with her panties, which she seemed to enjoy way too much. Since Penny's cast went right to the base of her fingers, her whole lower arm and hand where in the bag, making it necessary for Leonard to do all the washing of Penny, which again she seemed to be enjoying too much. Every time he would wash parts of her, that he knew where very erogenous to her, she made him wash her more or say he needed to do it again to get it clean. She was not being too subtle that she was getting turned on and she even moaned once when he was washing her unbruised breast. Penny was as horny as he ever saw her and he didn't know what to do about it.

Penny really thought being in the shower with Leonard would be fun, but was unprepared for how much it was going to turn her on. She hadn't thought it through, if him touching her was arousing her, what was him rubbing soap on her body going to do, well she soon found out, drive her crazy. It was really bad when he started washing her back, fanny and thighs, but when she was leaning with her back to his chest, he was driving her crazy washing her breasts. Right now he was washing her abdomen, very gently, she knew he was thinking about the baby, but he had no idea what he was doing to her, she was loosing it.

Leonard made a decision, Penny was horny, he couldn't have sex with her, so to satisfy her, he thought, I will just wash her between her legs like she wants me to, maybe she can get her release, and I won't hurt her. Since he now had a plan, Leonard moved his hands down to between her legs and surprised at the little shiver he felt run through her. He closed his eyes and thought how he would please her, down there, during sex, then tried to duplicate it with his hands, wash clothe and soap suds. He figured he was getting it right, because her whole body was leaning against him, she was slowing moving her hips, up and down, and started to moan softly.

Penny couldn't believe the feeling when Leonard slide his hands down between her legs, it sent shivers though her. However, when he completely surprised her and started to rub her erotically, she lost it, leaning back against him and closing her eyes, oblivious to anything but the warm water falling on her and Leonard's hands taking her over the edge to ecstasy. She could feel her climax building rapidly and she took her good hand and grabbed her unbruised breast nipple, gently squeezing in and twisting, while Leonard rubbed her clitoris, starting the shivers through her body. 'Leonard you amazing beast', she thought, Leslie had been so right about him, he was so amazing, then 'Oh My God', as the spasms took over her body. Her orgasm was one of the most intense she ever had, and her legs went weak immediately after it was over.

Leonard, was amazed at the strong release Penny had, and he immediately grabbed her when she started to slip down after her orgasm. He had her now pulled up to his chest, facing him, her arms around his neck and his around her holding her up. He was gently putting small kisses on her lips and face and neck, while she came down from her high. The expression on her face, was priceless and he so wished he had his phone so he could take a picture of it, because it just radiated happiness and contentment.

Leonard stood their holding her, for a little while and then felt her relax even more, which made him happy, until he heard her start to snore, her head on his shoulder.

"Penny, honey are you asleep?" Leonard felt funny even asking, because he knew she was. When she didn't respond he gave her a little shake.

"Huh", Penny said as she woke up.

"Honey, Lets get you out of the shower and dry, then you can sleep, Ok?" Leonard told her.

Penny gave him a dreamy smile, then tucked her head into the crook of his neck. He barely heard her say, "Ok".

Leonard got them out of the shower and dried her while she stood there giving him that little dreamy smile the whole time. She was tired and he had heard pregnant women need more sleep and Penny was always a sleepy-head, so the little fun in the shower had probably pushed her over the edge and she needed a nap. Penny's hair wasn't too long, they probably cut it for her show, but it was wet, so Leonard dried it as best he could, with a towel, then took the dryer to it while trying to keep her from nuzzling back against his chest, which she had turned into a little game between them.

Finally she was ready for her nap, but of course she wanted him to nap with her, so she pulled him onto the bed and put him on his back. She then practically crawled on top of him finally finding herself a comfortable position, with her head on his chest. He pulled the covers over both of them, and she was asleep before he even realized it. He looked down at her, she was adorable, even though she had two black eyes and now that the bandage was off, a badly bruised forehead with several stitches. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on and he just felt so lucky.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Penny and Leonard were back out in the living room at 3 PM, both with little shy smiles on their faces. What they didn't know was that Bernadette and Howard had decided to shower together also, and after realizing the Penny had taken another nap, they decided to take a nap too, however they didn't sleep. So now everyone was in a lazy mood, in sweats or jeans, wanting to just lay around and mindlessly do nothing at all.

"You guys want to watch a movie? I brought a couple of Penny's favorites over, when I packed her bags." Leonard told them.

Penny brightened up, "Which ones?" she asked, and Leonard ran down the list. "Oh, the Jennifer Aniston one." both girls said, laughing.

Leonard quickly got the movie and gave it to Howard, who put it in his DVD player, for them all to see. Bernadette walked over to her kitchen, to start the popcorn popping, and got them all ice teas, with Leonard's help. By the time they started the movie, there were big bowls of popcorn and drinks to keep them satisfied during the whole movie.

The movie was almost two hours long and by the time the first half hour was over, both girls were cuddled up to their men. There was sort of a magic in Howard's and Bernadette's living room that afternoon, two couples madly in love, with their others, just holding each other and being content. A little after an hour, Penny was stretched out along the couch, covered in a blanket, her head on a pillow on Leonard's lap, while he rubbed her back. Bernadette was in Howard's lap on a side chair, curled up with her head on his shoulder, watching the movie. Both girls had tissues handy because every so often a scene would make them cry, which confused the hell out of the guys. The movie ended with both girls sniffling and the guys both rubbing their backs to soothe them.

Penny turned her head to look up at Leonard from her pillow, "I'm hungry."

The way she said it made Leonard chuckle, "Is this one of these strange, I'm pregnant, I need food, things?" he asked.

"Maybe…..baby wants pizza." Penny said with a smile.

An hour later, everyone started to watch a Sandra Bullock movie while eating pizza and drinking more ice tea. Penny had her own pizza since she was the only one that wanted almost every topping they had on her pizza, which made everyone else want to gag. Their third movie ended a little after 10 PM and they had basically spent the whole day just being lazy and doing nothing, so they all agreed that the day was a big success. They had had cookies and hot beverages during the third movie, so now that it was over, Penny had a full belly and was a little tired again. In addition, Penny was now curled up in Leonard's lap, with her head on his shoulder, rubbing her nose and lips against his face.

"I'm a little tired now, do you mind if we go to bed?" she asked Leonard

"No, I'm a little tired too, and I have to get up early for work tomorrow." Leonard responded without thinking.

The room got very quiet, Penny had forgotten he had to go back to work, she had been with him almost every second of the last two days and one night, so knowing now he was going to leave her tomorrow, was a shock to her. She sat there just looking at him, unable to think of anything to say that would make it better. It got worse, as she stared at him, she felt helpless, and couldn't keep the tears from forming in her eyes and running down her checks.

Leonard realized what a mistake he just made, how could he be so stupid, they should have talked about this sooner. The tears coming down her face, were killing him, he didn't know what to do, he had to go in tomorrow. If it had been just a normal week, he could just take the week off on vacation, but tomorrow he had meetings with the department head, the university president and some of the board members to discuss his project. He maybe could come home early, but he had to go in tomorrow morning.

Howard and Bernadette were watching their two friends trying to deal with a deeply emotional situation between them and the pain was so evident on their faces. Penny's biggest side effect of her pregnancy was definitely how emotional she was acting, every feeling was so strong in her, she had trouble coping sometimes. She had just got Leonard back, she found out she was pregnant and now they were planning a marriage and family, all in 48 hours, her reluctance for him to leave her right now was understandable. Leonard was hurting because she was hurting, he loved her too much to hurt her, and he would do anything for her, which made his decisions questionable when they concerned her.

"I'm going to stay home tomorrow with Penny, so Leonard, don't worry she won't be alone." Bernadette told Leonard, it was the only solution that would work. She felt Howard give her a little squeeze and look, which she just nodded back to him.

"You sure? I mean you have a job too." Leonard asked, but he hoped she could do it, because he couldn't think of anything else to do.

"I have no meetings scheduled tomorrow and I have a bunch of reports, I have to read, that I can read at home, so I'm not really missing work." Bernadette told him. She could see the relief on Leonard's face and Penny nodded, while he wiped her tears.

"Thank you, Bernadette." Leonard told her, she had become such a good friend since she joined their little group, he loved her as a person. "Thank you."

Everyone got up to go to bed and Leonard again helped Penny get ready, however there was still a little tension between them. Penny didn't say much, but she kept looking at him, staring at him, he felt she was looking into his soul. When they got in bed she positioned herself in a way that she laying with her head on his chest and her arms around him, in a very possessive way, which made him think they needed to talk.

"Penny, honey, is it still bothering you, I have to go to work tomorrow." Leonard asked her.

'Yes it is killing me.' Penny thought, but she couldn't tell him that because he would stay with her. "I'm sorry Leonard, it just, we were apart so long, and I'm pregnant, so I just don't want to let you go. I feel safe when you are around, and I don't care about the rest of the world, when you're with me. I know I'm silly, but I can't help feeling this way." she told him.

"Baby, you're not silly. I'm sorry, if it was any other time, I would just take time off and not leave you're side, but with all that has happened, I have to go in. I will try and get some time off, I promise." he told her.

"I know honey, I understand, it just hard, you know." Penny told him, "Everything is different now, you know. You said we are a family and I feel that way too, so, I don't know, I guess I'm just all hormonal, Sweetie." Penny was quiet for a few seconds.

Leonard was smiling, he loved her so much, she was so adorable, talking, like him, about them being a family. He really didn't want to leave her tomorrow, he didn't want to leave her ever, they had been together so much the last 36 hours and he had loved every minute of it. Leonard just wished they could have a few weeks together right now, he just wanted to spend the next couple of weeks by her side for every minute and take care of her.

"Leonard, you go to work, I'll be Ok. I need to act like an adult now, I'm fine and besides Bernadette will be with me tomorrow so I won't be too lonely." Penny finally told him.

"Ok, love-bug, I will really try to get home early." Leonard responded, then he put a kiss on her head.

Penny scooted up so she was face to face with him and put her lips to his. She loved kissing him so much and whenever she was this close to him, she couldn't help but kiss him. The kiss lasted a little while, and when they broke, Penny was a little breathless, she always desired him and this time was no different. "Honey, when this is over, and we can go home, you're going to move in with me, right?"

Leonard smiled again, the thought had never crossed his mind, he was not thinking that far ahead. "You sure you want me? I mean we never discussed this before and well I thought you didn't want to move that fast." he told her.

Penny put her head on his chest again and stared laughing, then she squeezed him as tightly as she could. Penny then took his hand and put it on her tummy. "Sweetie, we never discussed little Hofstadter here either, I think we are way past moving too fast, don't you." she told him, still chuckling.

Leonard felt so stupid, too fast, what an idiot he was. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking." he told her apologetically.

Penny snuggled closer to him. "Honey, I don't know if I could sleep without you anymore, and I am already having trouble adjusting to you just leaving me for work, so I definitely want you living with me. Leonard, I love being with you. I am always happy when I'm with you, and if we are getting married, you better get use to me being around all the time." Penny said, with a little chuckle.

Leonard smiled. "All the time!" he teased her.

Penny laughed, "Yes, all the time and you better get use to liking it." she told him, then pinched him to make the point.

"Ouch! Ok, all the time and I promise to like it." he said submissively.

Penny got comfortable on him and he rubbed her back, putting her asleep within minutes. Leonard laid there smiling to himself, and he fell asleep minutes later.

The alarm clock surprised them both, since they were both deep in sleep and so comfortable in each others arms. Leonard wanted to throw it across the room, he was so mad, that it woke up Penny, because that was the last thing he wanted to do this morning. He couldn't see her face, because her head was on his chest, but he could feel her slight movements and knew she was now wide awake.

Penny was trying not to cry, she didn't want him to go, she wanted him to stay in bed with her. Her senses were so acute, she could smell the manly musky smell of him, again it made her desire him. She wanted to just kiss him and hold him and never let him go. She knew her hormones were controlling her, but it was still unfair, why couldn't she have him to herself longer.

Leonard knew he had to move, because she wouldn't, he could tell by her fingers running along his skin, that she wasn't voluntarily going to let him go. However, the thought of pushing her away, so he could get up, was almost something he wasn't capable of doing right now. He just wanted to figure some way to stay with her, what was wrong with him, he was suppose to be smart, why couldn't he figure a way to stay with her.

Howard, finally made them both move, if not for him Leonard probably would not have left the bed. "Leonard, its morning, buddy." Howard said in a low voice, thinking Leonard probably didn't set the alarm clock.

"Thanks Howard." Leonard replied, then looked down to see Penny looking at him. Her eyes were wet, and it broke his heart to see her like that, but a moment later they were kissing.

Penny had moved up and initiated the kiss, she had to kiss him, she couldn't help herself. His lips were so soft and inviting, she needed to kiss him and make sure he knew she loved him, before he left for the day. Her kiss was getting more and more intense, she was now laying on him, her arms around his head and her mouth clamped tightly to his. Her tongue demanded entrance into his mouth, which he granted, and she ravished his mouth, unable to control herself. Penny had now lost awareness of everything except Leonard, his mouth, his smell, and his body below hers.

Penny was all over him, and he had seen her like this before, she was taking control, she was going to have him. But, now he had to stop it, he was too concerned about her to risk hurting her and he was still worried about having sex with someone who was pregnant, he was too worried he would hurt her or the baby. So Leonard gently stopped her by tenderly pushing her face away from his. It hurt him to see her hurt confused face, when she opened her eyes to look at him.

"Baby, we can't, you need to rest more and heal. Please understand, I can't, when you are so hurt like this. I love you so much and I desire you very much, but I can't, I'm too afraid of hurting you." he tried to explain to her.

"Leonard…..I…I'm sorry." she responded, in a voice that sounded like a little girl. "I love you so much, too", then she wrapped her arms around he neck and hugged him really hard, before reluctantly moving off him. She didn't know how she kept it together, when he gave her a kiss, then got out of bed to go shower, she felt so alone when she lost sight of him.

Leonard quickly showered and got dressed, finding Penny sitting at the kitchen table, with Howard and Bernadette, waiting for him. Bernadette had made pancakes for them, so they had pancakes and coffee, while Penny had juice with her pancakes. Leonard could see Penny was a little stressed still and he couldn't help notice how she would watch him as nonchalantly as she could. She was really getting to him and he knew if he didn't leave quick, he wasn't going to go.

Leonard kissed Penny and Howard kissed Bernadette, then both of them got into Leonard's car and headed to Cal Tech. All the way to work, Howard could see that Leonard was deep in thought and he knew he was thinking about Penny because he had that expression on his face when he was trying to figure things out. Howard wanted to try and help him.

"Leonard, Penny for you thoughts." Howard said with a little smile and chuckle.

Leonard looked at him and smiled. "That obvious, huh." he responded.

"Something bothering you, buddy?" Howard asked

"Not really bothering me but I need to figure out a few things. Penny's emotions are all over the place, and I know a lot of it is because of the pregnancy, but I'm concerned about her, she is not use to wearing her emotions on her sleeve. Sometimes, I feel she is going to go too far and have trouble coming back. I really don't know how to explain it. But I know I want to make her comfortable and not stressed, she has been stressed too much the last few weeks." Leonard told Howard.

"How are you handling the pregnancy and being engaged now?" Howard asked, with concern. Leonard had a habit of taking on a lot of stress himself, when trying to help someone he cared about.

Leonard smiled at Howard. "Howard, I'm going to marry the girl of my dreams, and she just happens to be the most wonderful person in the world, plus my best friend. I still can't believe this is all happening, then add, she is having my baby, and I think my heart is going to explode, I am so happy." he told him.

Howard smiled, "Leonard just don't forget to take care of yourself, when you are taking care of Penny, Ok." he told him

Leonard smiled and nodded. Leonard and Howard talked the rest of the way to work and while walking to their offices. Leonard had a few minutes to get things straight and at least look at his email before he had to proceed to the department head's office. He quickly sent an email to Alex, asking if she could spare some time to see him, in the afternoon, and asked her what time was best for her. Once he hit send, he grabbed his notes and headed to Dr Gablehauser's office, to start his long morning of meetings.

Sue Reese walked into her office, at county child services, she was the head of the child welfare department. Sue had watched TV all weekend and she was mad that some stupid woman was pregnant, having sex with questionable actors, drinking and taking drugs. She really felt that this woman was not responsible enough to raise a child and she needed to be controlled for the sake of her unborn baby. She got settled in her desk and immediately called for one of her case workers, she was going to do something about this Penelope.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Janice entered Sue's office, a little worried she had done something wrong, because she didn't know why she had been called in. Janice had only been in the office long enough to be off probation, so now she could handle her own cases, instead of following another case worker around all the time. Janice actually relaxed when she found out that Sue wanted her to investigate the Penelope from the TV reports and have her come in for a competency hearing. Sue told Janice, she would get Janice a subpoena from their favorite Judge, to order this Penelope to the hearing, so Janice wouldn't really have much to do at first. Janice, left Sue's office feeling pretty good, she was going to get a good case and Sue was going to help her with it.

Penny talked with Bernadette for an hour then excused herself, so she could get some more sleep. After Penny retreated to the bedroom, Bernadette got out her laptop and started working on the reports, from work, while she sat on the couch. The morning turned out to extremely productive for Bernadette, she had gotten through so much reading, in her quiet living room, more than she would have ever finished reading the whole day, if she had went to work. It was almost noon, now and she was taking a little break, when Penny strolled back into the room, yawning a little.

"Good afternoon, sleepy-head." Bernadette said teasing her.

"I know, I can just fall asleep at any time lately." Penny responded

"Well pregnant women, do need their sleep, so that is natural." Bernadette told her.

"I really need to see a doctor and get checked up. I hope I didn't do anything to hurt the baby the last few weeks." Penny said, she was now biting her lip thinking about the last few weeks. Her face covered in concern, while she absentmindedly rubbed her belly.

"I know a couple of girls that just had babies. Do you want me to get doctors recommendations?" Bernadette asked her.

"Would you? That would be so great. I don't have any idea who to call." Penny said with excitement.

Bernadette spent the next hour on the phone, with Penny writing down the information Bernadette got on doctors for her. They had a doctor recommendation, that seemed really good, and due to a cancellation, he had an opening come up on Wednesday afternoon, so that made Penny happy. After Penny's doctor situation was resolved, Bernadette then decided that since she was home, she would prepare a roast, for when the guys came home. Penny watched everything Bernadette did, so some time later she could make one for Leonard, she really wanted to learn how to be a wife and mother. Bernadette put the roast in the oven, , then excused herself to take a shower, leaving Penny alone for a little while, so she turned on the TV. Her curiosity got the better of her and she turned on the news channel, finding out she wasn't really prepared, as she thought, to see the news about her.

Leonard sat in the cafeteria, watching a news feed on his laptop, as he drank coffee and waited for Alex. Leonard didn't like what he was watching, it was all lies, and he hoped Penny never saw any of it. He had never really questioned the news that much, but now he wondered how they could lie so blatantly and twist the story to make it more sensational. He was disgusted.

Alex walked in the cafeteria, with her coffee, and saw Leonard sitting at a table looking at his laptop. His face was very troubled and she wondered if it was because all the news about Penny this weekend. Alex couldn't believe Penny would do that stuff, she had told Alex she loved Leonard and would fight for him. But the stuff they said she did was all so horrible, could it all be a lie, and she was an actress, like the people they arrested from the party. Alex couldn't help but wonder what Leonard's and Penny's situation was now, and she hated herself for thinking such thoughts.

"Hi, Dr Hofstadter." Alex said standing by him and seeing he was looking at a news feed.

Leonard jumped a little, he had not even noticed Alex walked up to him, he was so engrossed in the news feed on his laptop. He quickly closed his laptop and motioned for Alex to sit down. "Thank you for coming. How are you feeling?" he asked.

Alex didn't know what to think, his face changed so fast from being upset to now being pleasant. She wondered if she should say something or just act pleasant too. "I'm fine." she said, then decided to ask. "Are you OK?" she asked with concern in her voice.

Leonard's face changed back to a frown, she could tell he was thinking and trying to decide what to say. Something was definitely bothering him, and it had to do with the news they were saying about Penny. She just decided to wait for him to say the next thing.

"Well no. Have you seen the news about Penny?" he asked and Alex nodded, afraid to say anything. "I can't believe the lies they are putting on TV about her and there is nothing we can do." he said. "She is pregnant, but it is with my baby, not this ass, Todd's. The only thing he did was almost get her killed, he was drunk, and they are making her out to be the bad guy, saying she drove him to crash his car." Leonard told her, shaking his head in the end.

Alex was ashamed of herself, because deep down inside, she had hoped a little that it was all true about Penny and Leonard didn't want to be with her anymore. She still had this huge crush on Leonard, and she got goose bumps just being around him, but it was wrong and she knew it. He was now talking to her as a friend, and she wanted to be his friend.

"I'm sorry." Alex said to him, she really was, but for more than was happening to Penny.

Leonard was dumping on her again, he realized and he had to stop doing that, so he decided to change the subject to what he asked her to be there for. "Alex, how do you feel about still working with me. I know things are…..I don't know…different, but I sort of need you to help me finish this project. I think we make a great project team. I also checked, this would qualify for your dissertation. You would just have to brief the department board on our report and defend our results."

'Yes Leonard, I would love to work with you. I'd love to spend all my time with you.' Alex thought. She also thought, could she really do it, and not die inside because she still was in love with him. "Leonard can you give me a day to think about it?" Alex asked him.

"Sure, take all the time you need." Leonard told her, because what else could he do.

Bernadette came out of the shower, finding Penny in front of the TV, watching the news and crying. Penny couldn't believe what they were saying about her, the lies they were telling everyone. They were telling the world she was a tramp, or maybe even a prostitute. How could they do this?

Penny looked at Bernadette. "What if my parents see this. The people back home. I would never be able to go back." Penny said, the tears flowing down her face.

Bernadette knew this was going to happen when Penny saw this, she knew because she would act the same way. This was terrible and they were spreading lies about Penny and, yes, her parents might see it too. She didn't know what to tell Penny, because it was bad and it didn't look any better in the future. "Penny, we all know it's not true and your parents will too." Bernadette said to try and comfort her.

Penny just looked at Bernadette, then got up and went to the bedroom to cry in her pillow. She so badly wanted Leonard right now, this was all so bad and she needed Leonard. Penny didn't even notice Bernadette was sitting on her bed, rubbing her back, until 15 minutes later. Penny appreciated Bernadette, but she wanted Leonard, and she was also very tired again now, she fell asleep a few minutes later.

Janice knocked on Penny's apartment door, with the subpoena in hand to serve her. However, Janice never expected no one to answer, so she was at a loss at what to do. She kept knocking until she heard the lock click on the apartment across the hall, then the door opened and a tall skinny guy stood there staring at her.

"Penny isn't home." he told Janice.

"Is that Penelope?" Janice asked

"Yes Penelope, but everyone calls her Penny." Sheldon corrected her.

"Do you know her?" Janice asked

"Yes, only because she dates my roommate." Sheldon said

"Can you give this to her." Janice asked

"Who do you think I am? Her servant? No I won't give that to her." Sheldon admonished her.

"Will she come home soon?" Janice asked him

"How am I suppose to know. I don't watch her. Her comings and goings are none of my concern." Sheldon told her in disgust.

"But I have to give this to her." Janice pleaded

Sheldon was tired talking to her. "Just slip it under the door, she'll get it. I don't have time to be her messenger." Sheldon stated, "and quit doing that absurd knocking." then he closed the door.

Janice decided the tall man was probably right, so she just slid the subpoena under the door. The hearing wasn't till Thursday, surely she would see it before then. Janice then left satisfied that she did all that she could do that day.

Leonard left work at 3:30 PM and headed back to Howard's apartment with him. Howard had taken off early, too, but tomorrow he would probably have to drive himself, because Leonard was planning on getting out of work early all week. Raj, Howard and Leonard, were a little surprised that Sheldon didn't show up to work today, but Amy was out of town, seeing her mother, and he refused to ride the bus because he got something on his bus pants, the week before, and had to throw them out. Sheldon worked at home, to everyone's delight, but since he hates missing work, he was in a very bad mood when the guys called him to see if he was OK.

Howard and Leonard, arrived at the apartment, to find Bernadette reading on the couch, and Penny nowhere in sight. While Howard walked over to kiss his wife, Leonard stood there confused.

"She is in the bedroom." Bernadette told him, sadly. "She watched the news today and she has been upset ever since. I guess she had to see it sometime, but I was thinking it was probably better she did it today, while one of us was here."

Leonard nodded, Bernadette was right, it was better that someone was here. "I'm going to check on her." Leonard said quietly, then he walked over to the bedroom.

Penny laid awake on the bed, she had heard the front door open and she was hoping it was Leonard. She didn't want to talk to anyone but him, right now, so she just waited on the bed hoping he would join her soon. This moment she could wait a little longer, but if he didn't get in there soon, she was going out to get him, she needed him right now. She turned her head when she heard the door to the bedroom open.

"Leonard." she said softly, her voice a little strained from crying.

Leonard, kicked off his shoes, then got on the bed, putting his arms around her. "How are you doing, honey?" he asked her quietly, his face close to hers.

Leonard's arms around her and his face so close to hers, was so soothing to her, and it actually physically made her feel better. She forgot everything for the moment, except how much she had missed him being gone, she turned, so she was on her back, then wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, so she could kiss him. She was obsessed with Leonard's lips, they were so soft, moist and it always gave her a little rush when they met hers. It seemed now that every time she kissed him, she would forget about everything except him, his lips, mouth and body being close and hers. He had become her happiness drug, she was addicted to him and she never wanted it to end.

She didn't know how long they kissed, but eventually they naturally parted their lips, Penny smiled a little. "I've missed you." she told him, her nose touching his.

Leonard smiled and chuckled, "Really, I didn't notice." he said and was rewarded with her pinching his side. "Ouch! I missed you too." he admitted. "How are you?" his earlier concern returning.

"Honestly, I'm really feeling better, now." she told him, him being so close to her always made her forget her problems.

"Well, I do have that affect on women." he told her, teasing her again. "Ouch!"

"There better not be any more women, you are affecting." she told him in mock anger.

"Only you, baby." Leonard said kissing her, "Only you." kissing her again, "Always, only you." kissing her deeply.

He pulled slowly away from her lips and now she could look at him, 'God' she was so in love with him. She couldn't explain the feelings she was having right now, but she knew she never wanted them to end. She just felt good, laying there looking at him, and she couldn't help herself from touching him, and it made her so happy he was hers. She ran her hand alongside his face and he smiled, she loved his smile, he was so cute, she just wanted to cuddle with him. This was going to be the rest of her life, him, their child and there life together as a family, it just made her smile.

"I must have done something right, Wow, what a big smile you have. What are you thinking about?" he asked her.

"I was just thinking, that I am happy, and what a sexy little nerd, I have in bed with me." Penny said with a smile. "I was also thinking about us married and having a family."

She seemed happy, which always made him happy. However, her talking about being married, made him remember something he did earlier. "I have to get something." he said suddenly and started to get up.

Penny didn't want him to go, so as he got up she was pulled up with him because she wouldn't let go of him. Once he realized what was happening, he got back down so she was back on the bed. She was biting her lip and he could tell she was thinking about something. "I just want to get something, I brought home, I promise I will come right back, honey." he told her.

She didn't want him to go, it scared her for him to leave, she knew it was her hormones, they were driving her crazy sometimes. She forced herself to let go of him, it was really hard, "Ok, but come right back." she finally said.

Leonard got off the bed and went out the door, but was back 20 seconds later with a stack of magazines. She felt so relieved when he came back in she didn't even notice what he was carrying until he sat next to her, on the bed, and put the magazines on the bed next to her. She couldn't help notice them then, they were all bridal magazines.

Penny sat up next him and put her head on his shoulder, "Where did you get all these?" she asked, as she picked each one up and looked at its cover.

"One of the PHD's in the chemistry department got married a few weeks ago, and was back to work today, so I asked, and she gave them to me. They are only one to two months old, so they are still very current." he said, smiling at her. Then he got real serious, "Penny do want to talk about getting married?" he asked, quietly.

She knew they were going to get married, but she had not thought much farther than that. She thought for a moment, yes she wanted to talk about it, she needed to start doing some planning. She looked at him and was immediately concerned because she could see the worried expression on his face. "Yes, Sweetie, I would love to talk about it." she said, smiling, then gave him a kiss.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked, and Penny nodded, "I really want to be married to you before you get too big. I want to be your husband, when we go through those baby classes, when you are big and I am holding your hand, and especially when I'm with you, when the baby comes." he confessed.

Penny, smiled, she loved this man so much, "Me too." she responded and gave him a very long kiss.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Bernadette was putting plates on the table, when Leonard and Penny came out of the bedroom deep in a conversation. She was really happy to see them both with smiles and talking very enthusiastically, about something. Penny now always seemed happy when she was with Leonard, they definitely looked like two people in love and Bernadette couldn't help think how they belonged together.

"You guys hungry?" Bernadette said to them.

"I'm starved." Penny said and Leonard nodded.

"Well dinner is ready, I just have to set up everything." Bernadette told them.

Everyone was hungry so they went into the kitchen and pitched in to help Bernadette get the food on the table. Penny took care of getting drinks, while doing this smiling and teasing her friends, and her fiancé, she loved that word, her fiancé, she felt happy again. Once everything was set up, they sat down and began eating, Penny couldn't believe how good the food was and how hungry she was. She also couldn't keep her eyes off of Leonard, and he kept smiling back at her.

"Wow, this is a really good roast." Leonard told Bernadette, taking another bite full.

"It is really not too hard to cook, and Howard's mom gave me a few of her secret brisket tricks that I now use." Bernadette told Leonard.

"Well you are going to have to give me some of that secret information, so I can try it." Leonard said,

"Penny knows." Bernadette simply answered, while looking a Penny and smiling.

Leonard looked at Penny with a little awe and surprise in his expression. "You know how to make this?" he said in disbelief.

Penny at first acted shyly, "I do now. I helped Bernadette and took good notes." she said with a little bit of confidence. "I'm not that bad a cook?" Penny asked, then changed her mind, "Sorry, forget that, stupid question." sending everybody into a giggling fit.

As everybody calmed down, Bernadette, couldn't help notice how Penny and Leonard were acting, they were like a couple of teenagers. But also they were acting so much like bonded adults, they could kid each other and neither of them would get mad or hurt. She thought, they were obviously ready to take the next step to marriage.

"So what were you guys talking about earlier, that was so exciting?" she asked, with a big smile on her face.

"Our wedding. We decided to start planning it." Penny said happily

"Oh, that sounds like fun. So when are you going to have it or is it too soon to decide yet?" Bernadette asked.

"I think in three months." Penny stated after thinking for a second.

Bernadette almost spit out her food. "Three months!" she said in a little bit of shock. "That's not far away."

"I know, but we talked about it and we want to do it sooner, then later. I need to call my mom and dad and tell them." Penny said reflectively.

"Where are you going to have it? California, Nebraska or New Jersey?" Howard asked.

Penny and Leonard looked at each other, they had not thought that far, "That's another thing we have to plan." Penny finally said.

"It's really between California and Nebraska, because I'm not going to get married in New Jersey." Leonard told Penny

"You sure Sweetie?" Penny asked with a little bit of concern. She always felt so sorry for Leonard, when he had to deal with his family, and now she just wanted to hug him, to comfort him.

"I'm sure. Where ever you want to have it at, California or Nebraska, both are fine with me. I will invite my family and they can come if they want." Leonard told her.

"Oh, Leonard. You really think your family wont 't come?" Bernadette asked him in concern.

"I don't know. My brother, sister and me are not extremely close, but we don't dislike each other, and I went to my sister's wedding, so they may come. My mother and father are a different story." he told them. "My close family is really here, Penny, Sheldon, Raj, Amy, Howard and you." Leonard told Bernadette, in a matter-of-fact tone.

Bernadette had a tear in her eye. "Leonard where ever you get married, we will be there." she told him and Howard nodded, "Like Bernie said, where ever you want, we'll be there."

"Thank you." Penny told Bernadette and Howard, "Because we want you both in the wedding party, so it is sort of nice to know you will be there." Penny said with a smile.

They continued to eat and talk, the rest of the dinner conversation about Leonard and Penny's wedding and planning requirements. Penny had helped Bernadette with hers but when Bernadette told her about all the stuff her mother had did, plus the stuff she did, without the girls, Penny started to really understand the enormity of it. She was wondering if they could really do it in three months.

"Leonard, maybe we should elope to Las Vegas." she told him, only half joking.

She was helping clean up the table, when she said it and Leonard put his arms around her, from behind her, and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, I'll help and we'll be Ok." he told her. Looking at him, she knew they would be Ok, so she smiled back and nodded.

After the clean up was done, Bernadette, Howard and Leonard got out their laptops out to do a little work. Leonard was sitting on the bed, in the guest room, with Penny next to him, as she got his phone out to call her parents. Leonard could tune out the world when he was working, so she knew if she didn't talk louder than her normal voice, she could sit next to him working, while talking to her parents.

"Hi mom, it's Penny." she said after her mother answered. "I'm using Leonard's phone, because mine is broken. I have to get another one, so if you need me, call Leonard…Yes, dad has his number….No mom, Leonard will not mind, since he is my fiancé and we plan on getting married in three months….Mom, calm down…Yes…Yes….Yes, he is the same Leonard, dad was bragging about." Penny heard Leonard chuckling, next to her, so she put her hand over the phone and told him to stop, while playfully swatting him.

"We haven't decided where yet, mom….I know, everyone there will want to come, but we have friends here, too….How many?…Well five close friends….I know you could put them all up at the house, but we don't know yet….Ok, we'll consider it, I promise….Is dad there….Can I talk to him?…..Yes, mom, I'll talk to you again after I talk to dad." Penny looked at Leonard, who was smiling and typing away at his computer. He was obviously listening and having a fun time listening to her talk to her parents.

"Hi dad…Yes, I am…Yes, Leonard, the Leonard you met, I promise….I know dad…..Dad, yes he is and no I'm not going to tell him that…Ok, I'll tell him." Penny put her hand over the phone again, looking at Leonard and sighing. "My dad said he is proud of you, Leonard. Why is he proud of you?" she asked

Leonard looked at her and smiled. "I promised your dad something, I can't tell you." he said.

Penny gave him a curious look, "Dad, what did Leonard promise you?….Yeah….Yeah…..Ok, I understand it's a guy thing…Yes, dad…..I love you too…..I don't know yet, we are trying to work that out now….Yes mom told me everyone would come….I promise…..Ok," Penny looked at Leonard, who still had a silly grin on his face while he typed.

"Dad can I talk to you about something serious?" Penny said to Wyatt. Leonard immediately stopped typing and looked at her.

"Dad some weird things have happened here and they are saying some real lies on the TV and I need to tell you about them." Penny told her father. Leonard moved his laptop to the side and put his arm around Penny. "Yes, dad…..You have!" Penny gave Leonard a surprised look, then mouthed 'They know'. "I'm sorry dad…thank you daddy." Penny now had a couple tears running down her face. "I won't daddy…Yes daddy, I'm pregnant…Yes daddy, the baby is Leonard's…Yes daddy, he is wonderful to me, and loves me very much…I will daddy…..thank you daddy." Penny wiped a few tears from her eyes. Penny then snuggled closer to Leonard and looked up to him, mouthing 'I Love You' to him.

Leonard kissed her forehead and mouthed 'I Love You' back to her, then noticed her expression change when someone was talking to her on the phone again.

"Hi mom…." Penny talked to her mother for another 20 minutes, before she was able to end the call. She looked at her concerned fiancé, "They already know, and never believed a word of it. They had been trying to call me since Sunday, to see if I was OK. Dad was going to call you tonight anyway, so it is a good thing we called first." she told him.

"What did your dad say about you being pregnant?" Leonard asked, concerned that some how he was not very popular with Wyatt right now.

"Well they saw it on the news, so he didn't know what to believe but he is really happy it is yours, and you love me and we are getting married." Penny said, a little smile on her face.

Leonard was now smiling again. "Good. That's good." was all he said.

"So I saw you, when I was talking to them, you think that all that with my family was funny, don't you!" she said in mock anger.

Leonard looked at her and smiled wider, which only made him look cute, she wished she wasn't still in some pain because she would have jumped on him right then. "You know, you're going to tell me this secret, my dad and you have, after we get married." she told him, trying to sound serious.

"Nope, us men need our secrets." he said to her

"You can't keep secrets from your wife." Penny insisted, teasing him

"Who says that?" Leonard protested

"It is in the marriage vows. For better or worse and you can't keep secrets from your wife." She told him, trying not to crack a smile

"I never heard that before and I have been to a couple of weddings." Leonard told her, having fun with her.

"Well, I decided we are writing our own vows and it is going to be in your part." Penny said, trying to look determined, until Leonard tiled his head down and looked at her over his glasses, with his best 'You have got to be kidding me' look. Penny couldn't hold it any longer, she started laughing, which made him start laughing, until they both were having trouble catching their breathe.

A few minutes, after they calmed down and were just holding each other, "So the wedding is going to be in Nebraska?" he said, looking at her.

"I don't know." Penny said, concern on her face.

"Penny, they all will come. After what Bernadette said at dinner, it made me realize they all will come." he told her, then started to rub her back.

"They all will, won't they." Penny responded, she knew he was right.

"Then it's Nebraska in three months." Leonard stated

"Yes, Nebraska." Penny said, it all seemed so much more real now and Penny smiled.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Leonard worked on his project for another two hours, on his laptop, with Penny against him looking at her bridal magazines. She was so content just sitting there with him, his every movement giving her warm feelings inside. She had closed her eyes for a few seconds, and didn't even notice him close his laptop, but she did notice his arms encircling her and his lips on the side of her face.

"Tired?" Leonard asked Penny, when he saw her eyes closed.

Penny opened her eyes and turned to look at him, smiling at him with a dreamy look. "No, only my eyes were tired. I'm really a little hungry again." She told him.

"Well you are eating for two, so do you want to see what Bernadette has hidden away?" he said, teasing her.

"You are reading my mind." Penny responded as she scooted to the side of the bed, to get off.

Howard and Bernadette were on the couch, Bernadette against Howard, her head on his shoulder and her feet on the couch. The were watching some comedy show and the TV volume was low, but still loud enough to hear in the quiet apartment. The opening of the bedroom door, was easily heard by them and they turned to look at Penny and Leonard.

Penny gave them a shy smile. "Sorry, but I'm a little hungry." she said, as she walked into the living room, holding Leonard's hand.

"Well we have a lot of stuff here. The guys really packed my fridge and cabinets with food, so we probably have anything you want." Bernadette told her.

"I'm sort of craving some of the leftover pizza, and a bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup. Do you have any ice cream?" Penny asked, shyly.

"Yep, we bought lots of ice cream and syrup, because Bernadette told us that's your primary comfort food." Leonard told her, proud of himself.

Penny giggled, "Goody. I want pizza and ice cream and she went straight to the kitchen, towing Leonard with her."

20 minutes later, Penny was in Leonard's lap, having finished her slice of pizza and now concentrating on her ice cream. She had just told him she was sorry for eating ice cream in front of him and he now had a chocolate lip print on his cheek. They had been talking with Howard and Bernadette, the comedy show long forgotten.

"I called my family, while Leonard was working on his laptop." Penny told Howard and Bernadette.

"How did that go?" Bernadette said cautiously, not knowing how much Penny told them.

"Really well. The knew all about the news and they didn't believe a word of it. Of course the marriage and pregnancy thing surprised them." Penny told her.

"That's great." Bernadette responded, relieved. "Your dad and mom were OK with you being pregnant?" she asked

"Really yes, since I am getting married, and my dad was happy it was Leonard's" she said.

"Me too!" Leonard said, teasing her. He was rewarded with a big sloppy chocolate kiss on his nose. "Oh Gross!" he said, stealing her napkin to wipe his nose.

Penny just giggled, "We were talking about having the wedding in Nebraska, is that OK?" Penny asked, looking at Bernadette and Howard, and biting her lip.

"Of course", Bernadette answered, "And since we are in the wedding party, we will definitely be there." Bernadette gave Penny a wink.

However Penny saw Howard suddenly look a little uncomfortable, and it dawned on her that he was probably thinking about her slutty friend, from a few years back, that he slept with. She didn't know if Bernadette knew about her, and Penny knew Howard didn't want to see her again.

"Yes all my friends and family are there, well most of them. A couple of them moved out of town and won't make it, like the one who is in San Diego right now." She said, looking mostly at Howard. She saw a slight nod of Howard's head and knew things were Ok now.

"That's too bad all your friends can't be there." Bernadette told her, never seeing the exchange between Howard and Penny.

"Not really, the one in San Diego, visited me when she first got here, and ruined some of my Care Bears, so I don't really miss her, too much." Penny responded. Howard looked down at his shoes, embarrassed and Leonard gave her a slight pinch on her bottom, letting her know he knew now what she was talking about. The pinch was painless, but it sent tingles through Penny, so she started to seductively lick her spoon, with each spoonful of ice cream, while she talked, giving Leonard little glances.

"My parents said there is plenty of room at the house for you to all stay, so there will be plenty for you to do, because you all are really part of our family." Penny told them.

Howard and Bernadette smiled, and Bernadette said 'Thank You' for both of them. Penny also noticed Bernadette's eyes were a little moist.

Everyone retired to bed a little after 10 PM and after getting ready, Penny was in bed wrapped in Leonard's arms, comfortable as she could be. She laid there thinking about all that had happened today and how excited she was getting. She now had an idea of when and were she was going to get married and she could barely contain her inner joy. The more she thought of it, she really liked the idea of getting married in her home town, in Nebraska, and loved the thought of all her relatives being there.

Leonard could feel that Penny was still awake and that bothered him a little. He was hoping she was not worrying over things again or worse, having second thoughts about getting married. He knew he shouldn't worry about her not wanting to marry him, because she had even asked him in Switzerland, but there were some fears he couldn't seem to get rid of, no matter how he tried.

Leonard put his mouth close to her ear, then quietly asked, "Is everything Ok, honey?"

Penny smiled, and turned in his arms so she was facing him, "Everything is perfect. I just need to do a lot of things now for my wedding." she told him, and then she stopped to just look into his eyes. She couldn't really believe how he could do that to her, looking at him, this close, drove her desire for him to levels she had never experienced before. She turned her eyes to his lips, immediately deciding she needed them on hers, so she started kissing him.

They kissed for a while, it was never boring or old to them, it was always exciting. When they finally parted, Penny was now on her right side, laying on Leonard's chest, just content and happy. Nothing was said anymore by them that night, there was no need, and Penny fell asleep in a few minutes, while Leonard drifting off as soon as he realized she was asleep.

The next morning, Leonard was awake a few minutes before the alarm went off, so he carefully slipped away from Penny and out of bed, trying not to wake her up. He quickly showered and got ready, his clothes in the bathroom so he would not have to go back to the bedroom and wake Penny. He finished quickly and while walking back into the living room, he saw Penny sitting at the table with coffee and a toasted bagel waiting for him.

"What are you doing up? You need your sleep." Leonard told her, but he was really happy seeing her. He sat down next to her and took her hand, while grabbing his coffee to take a sip.

"I'll go to sleep after you leave, but right now I want to sit with you, before you go." she told him, she, of course, didn't want him to go, but she didn't want him to leave without knowing she loved him and without a kiss.

Then Penny remembered something, "Oh My God! I can't believe I forgot to tell you last night. I have a doctors appointment, for the baby, tomorrow afternoon." she said apologetically

"What time?" he asked, he wasn't going to miss that.

"Well I wanted one late, so you didn't have to take too much time off, so they had an opening at 4 PM so I grabbed it. We are their last appointment for the day." she told him

"That is perfect. Is it close?" he asked.

"About 20 minutes away in normal traffic." she told him.

"Great! I'll be by to pick you up at 3 PM." he told her.

Penny smiled, she was actually getting excited about seeing the doctor tomorrow. Leonard being there with her, made it even more exciting.

"Well, I probably need to get going. I promised to pick up Sheldon on the way and you know how he is." Leonard told her, he didn't want to leave her.

Penny and Leonard actually walked to the front door, holding hands, neither of them really wanting to part. At the door, Leonard turned to her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, deeply for several minutes. Finally reluctantly removing her lips from his but keeping her face close to him.

"I love you Leonard. What ever you do or where ever you go, know that I love you." Penny told him, her eyes getting a little moist.

Leonard felt like he was in a dream, her words just made his heart swell, he brought her closer and kissed her. Again, they finally had to part again, reluctantly, but they still couldn't seem to let each other go. The just stared into each others eyes, their noses actually touching, each unable to do anything else. Finally Bernadette brought them out of their trance.

"Leonard are you leaving already?" Bernadette said as she was coming out of her bedroom, yawning and stretching, to see Leonard and Penny at the door.

Leonard sighed, followed by a sigh from Penny, "Yes, I have to pick up Sheldon, remember." he told her.

"Oh yeah, and we are suppose to drive him home, now I remember. I wish he'd learn how to drive." Bernadette said, while pouring herself coffee.

Leonard smiled and looked at Penny, "I have to go. I love you love-bug. I have always loved you and will love you forever." he told her, then he kissed her and went out the door.

Penny slowly walked to the table and sat down with Bernadette to finish her juice. She sat there with the juice to her lips, deep in thought.

Bernadette watched her, not knowing if she should be concerned or not. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Penny looked at her friend and smiled. "Happy, really happy. I can't really describe it, because I have never felt this kind of happy before. I feel everything in my life is good and everything is going to be good from now on. I love Leonard so much, and being with him, just makes me content and happy. Like I said I don't know how to describe it, but it is all good." Penny said, them she got serious. "Is it silly to feel that way with all the things going on with me now. Especially this Todd Stewart thing?" she asked her friend.

"Does the Todd Stewart thing bother you and Leonard?" Bernadette asked her.

"We are upset about the lies, but no we are not bothered about it. We hardly talk about it, we have more important things to talk about. And now that my parents know and understand, and all you know, I don't really care what anyone else thinks really." Penny told her.

"Then it is not silly to feel happy." Bernadette said, smiling at her and Penny smiled back.

Leonard stopped at the a big discount department store, that was open 24/7, on the way to Sheldon's. He quickly went in and found a pay-as-you-go cell phone, that looked similar to the one Penny lost, and 10 hours time credit cards, then purchased them and went on his way. He got to the apartment building to find Sheldon waiting at the door, and Sheldon quickly got in as soon as Leonard stopped.

"You are 5 minutes late!" Sheldon greeted him with.

"I had some stuff to do concerning Penny." Leonard confessed.

"Penny, Penny, Penny. Everything is about Penny lately. That news van across the street is there for Penny. The people that knocked on her door, the last few days, were looking for Penny. This Penny thing is really making my life miserable and I wish it would stop." Sheldon's irritation obviously pushed to the limit.

"I'm sorry Sheldon. This isn't her fault. These people are crazy." Leonard tried to calm him by saying.

"How is it not her fault? No one forced her to that party with that Todd Stewart. She didn't have to drink and take drugs. And I don't know how you can defend and hide a girl who had sex with another man and is now having his baby!" Sheldon fumed.

"Sheldon, the baby is mine. She did not have sex with anyone else. She did not take drugs and she only went to the party to see some of the stars from the Vampire shows she likes. I am hiding her because those people would attack her and she is still hurt from the auto accident. Where she is, is a secret, can you keep a secret?" Leonard asked, he was a little upset with Sheldon and how he was acting.

Sheldon was a little confused. Leonard's story was completely different from what the reporter told him, so now he didn't know what to think, because he did trust Leonard more that some stranger. "No, I don't want to keep a secret, so I don't want to know where she is." Sheldon finally said. He remained silent the rest of the trip to Cal Tech, making the rest of the trip extremely enjoyable for Leonard.

Penny went to the bathroom and then to bed after Howard and Bernadette left for work, she was sleepy. She laid there, missing Leonard, and decided to try and think about something else so she could fall to sleep. While she was going over topics in her mind, College came to mind and she found that she really wanted to think about that. Ever since she took that IQ test, she felt she was wasting her life if she didn't go back to College to see how far she could go, academically. She really wanted to go back, it was sort of eating at her now, and she knew Leonard would fully support her, as a matter of fact he would be trilled. She had 7 more months till the baby came and she only needed one full semester and a couple summer courses to get her associates degree. She really thought she could do it, if she tried, and she really wanted that degree now, it would be her first. She knew she wouldn't stop with one, but she had to get the first one. She would talk it over with Leonard, when he got home and that made her smile. Penny fell asleep a few moments later a big smile on her face.

Alex was waiting at Leonard's office door for him to come in, so she could talk to him. Yesterday had been tough on her, trying to figure the best way to handle her and Leonard. She had barely been able to concentrate on her afternoon classes thinking about him, and when she went back, to her and Beverly's apartment, he was all she could think of. The bottom line was she still had a crush on Leonard, she felt silly because she still felt she loved him, and nothing she tried could convince her otherwise. The problem was he loved Penny and she would never come between them because she would hate herself for doing that to Leonard. But she also loved working with him, he was amazing, and he treated her like a colleague, a scientist and a friend, which was something she did not want to loose. She finally concluded since she was really never his girlfriend there was nothing to look back on that she was now doing without, everything would be exactly like it was, she would still be around him, he would treat her nice and she would learn so much from him. The only thing that would be hard would be that she knew, deep down, that she wanted him to feel the way she felt about him. So, if she didn't want that feeling she had to completely separate herself from him and she decided that would hurt even more and she wasn't willing to risk it, at least right now. So she was here to ask to continue to work with him.

Leonard walked down the hall to his office, seeing Alex at his door with a very serious expression on her face. He was worried she was going to reject his offer and that was going to make everything harder. He could ask for another assistant, but they would never be anywhere as good as Alex, she just had been involved too much in the project and she knew everything about it. He took a calming breathe as he approached her.

"Good morning Alex, have you decided what you want to do?" Leonard said, trying to sound cheery.

"Yes Dr Hofstadter, I have." Alex said.

They both walked into Leonard's office and closed the door. Alex sat down in front of his desk and Leonard sat in his chair. He was afraid to start the conversation because he feared the worse. "Well Alex, did you have time to think about the benefits of working on this project?"

"Yes", Alex said, then looked down at her hands. "I would like to continue working on the project with you Dr Hofstadter, if you want me." Alex said, then sighed.

"Well only if you stop calling me Dr Hofstadter and start calling me Leonard again." Leonard said, smiling and teasing her.

"Yes, I promise, Dr Hof…I mean Leonard." Alex said, smiling back at him.

"Okay, so when can you start?" Leonard asked

"I don't have any classes this morning, so now I guess." Alex said to him.

It was music to Leonard's ears, things were now looking up for his project, "Well I'm a really slave driver, so, we better get to the cafeteria and get some coffee, it is going to be a long morning." Leonard said, trying to sound sincere.

Alex giggled, she had made the right choice, "Lead the way, Boss." she said, going along with the joke, now between them. Leonard and Alex talked all the way to the cafeteria and back to his office, with coffee, then Alex jumped into the work like she hadn't been gone a day.

At 11:00 AM, Alex and Leonard ate and talked about the work they had done and what they needed to do tomorrow, since he would not see her again today. Alex was going to take some of the work home, like Leonard did, to get ahead for tomorrow and Leonard talked a little about her Doctorate Dissertation, since he would now become her faculty advisor. He smiled, he was already ahead in the project, with the help she provided just this morning.

After Alex left for class, he sat there working on the phone he purchased for Penny, programming it with all the numbers she needed right now. He didn't even notice Howard and Raj until they were at the table.

"Who's the phone for?" Howard asked, startling Leonard

"Oh, Hi guys. Penny, she needs one since hers is lost, broken, or whatever. Also no one will know this number, except us and her family." he told them, then he gave them the number.

"Good idea. How is she doing?" Raj asked

"Good, Better, Howard has told you everything hasn't he?" Leonard said looking at Howard.

"Yes, pretty much. You guys are getting married and Penny is going to have your baby. Dude, you are sort of my hero." Raj told him.

Leonard laughed, "We really need to get you a steady girlfriend." he said to Raj

"Hey, I got to run. I need to drop this phone to Penny. I don't like not being able to contact her or her contact me. So I am going to drop it off and come right back. See you later." Leonard told them, then got up and left the cafeteria.

"He really seems happy." Raj told Howard.

"Yeah, you should see them at the apartment, they really are great together. Penny really loves him. Who would have thought that six years before, it would really come true. It is almost like a fairy tale for nerds." Howard said.

"Yeah, like Bernadette and You." Raj said to Howard.

"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky too. Because of Penny introducing us. She sort of has done a lot for us all." Howard said.

"Yeah, I would never know I could talk to girls by drinking, if it wasn't for her. She also hooked me up with that hot deaf chick. She has been good to us." Raj said.

"So you are going to Nebraska for their wedding?" Howard asked.

"Of course dude, I wouldn't miss it. Penny has talked about all the loose women she knows and they all drink, I'm going to be in hottie heaven." Raj said with a big smile on his face.

"Leonard's right you do need a steady girlfriend." Howard said while shaking his head.

Traffic was very light and Leonard arrived at Howard's and Bernadette's apartment only 20 minutes later. He quietly opened the door, to find, like he thought, Penny was still asleep. He quietly put the phone and instructions on the table, they took five minutes to write a note, before he quietly left and headed back to work. He was sorry he didn't get to talk to her, but he did need to get back to work and if she had been awake he may not have ever left.

Leonard was in the hall on the way back to his office, when his phone chirped with an incoming text. 'Honey, thank you for the phoneJ I love you, my Shinny White KnightJ'. Leonard couldn't get the silly grin off his face all afternoon.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Leonard had an afternoon meeting, with Dr Gablehauser, to update him on his project status and discuss Alex being assigned to Leonard. Dr Gablehauser told Leonard that Dr Cooper was very upset about loosing Alex, so for that reason alone, Leonard could have Alex as long as he wanted, which made them both laugh. Dr Gablehauser, was very happy with Leonard's project paper progress and fully agreed with all his plans including Alex using the project as her dissertation. At the end of the meeting, Dr Gablehauser, congratulated Leonard on his fine work for the University and reminded him that they had a big meeting with the board and President Siebert on Friday afternoon. The meeting left Leonard in good spirits and he went back to his office to get packed up, for going home to Penny.

Leonard walked into the apartment to find Penny in her sweats, at the table, working on her laptop, the scene made him smile. She was getting better every day and that is all he wanted, her to feel better. Leonard walked over to give her a kiss, but then stopped in shock when she saw what she was doing.

"You're thinking of going to college full time?" Leonard asked, he was hoping it was true.

"Yeah, I am." Penny said, turning to look at his face, then giggling. "I now know I'm not stupid, so I want to see how smart I really am. I want to start full time this next semester, and then with a couple summer courses after that, I will have my associates degree. I think I can do all that before the baby comes." She told him.

"You sure you want to do this. I mean, I love you the way you already are, please don't do this for me. I've always known you are smart, there is nothing for you to prove, you know." Leonard said, feeling a little stupid because he couldn't really find the right words to say to her.

Penny smiled at him, she knew he was trying to say the right thing, "It is not for you, honey, it is for me, so your are not pushing me on this, don't worry. I want to do this. I want to know how far I can go. I am sort of a little bit obsessed right now." she told him, making him smile from ear to ear.

"Whatever you want. You know what is best for you. I am just happy to be in your life." Leonard told her.

"Honey, you are always going to be in my life, no matter what I do." Penny said. "As a matter-of-fact, you would have a hard time getting rid of me now." She added smiling.

"You're just saying that because I got you knocked up." Leonard teased her with, while kissing her head.

Penny turned and looked at him in a seductive way "Oh Leonard, You always say the most romantic things, to sweep a girl off her feet." Penny told him, trying not to laugh.

Leonard couldn't help but laugh, "Well I am such a smooth talker." he said

Penny smiled and turned back to her computer, to finish what she was doing, but then, "Anyway, it is tough to get any good sex, when your knocked up, so you will just have to do." she told him, not able to stop a little giggle from coming out of her mouth.

Leonard put on a fake pout, "So that is all I am to you, a sex object to satisfy your every need." he told her, continuing to tease

"Well yes, but you are also eye candy for when I need you to go out with me." Penny told him, then she couldn't hold it any longer and started laughing, which made Leonard laugh too.

Howard and Bernadette walked into the apartment, finding Leonard and Penny on the couch, with Penny in Leonard's lap, kissing him. Howard had to clear his throat, before Penny broke her lip lock on Leonard and turned to say 'Hi'.

"You guys are going to be bored on your honeymoon." Howard told them, laughing

Penny was really playful, "Oh, I promise to keep it interesting." she told Howard, then she pulled Leonard close to her face and planted a wet noisy kiss on his cheek, getting a "Ew" from everyone, including Leonard.

Penny got off of Leonard and headed into the kitchen, and that is when Howard and Bernadette realized she was cooking dinner. Leonard followed her and grabbed the noodles to put them in the already boiling water, while Penny stirred the sauce with her good hand.

"That smells good," Bernadette said, walking to the kitchen.

"Nothing fancy, just spaghetti." Leonard said

"But we Google'd some sauce recipes and this one is suppose to be zesty." Penny added.

Leonard then put the quick rising rolls in the preheated oven, "Ok you guys have 15 minutes before we set the table, so do what you have to do, because dinner will be served on time." Leonard told them.

Bernadette smiled, she really liked coming home to have dinner waiting, it was like a vacation for her. "We will return." she said, grabbing Howard's hand to change and wash for dinner.

20 minutes later, Penny and Bernadette sat at the table in sweats, while the guys brought out the food. Penny was starved, and the smell of the sauce was making her even hungrier. Bernadette was getting a kick out of just sitting there and having the guys take care of everything.

Bernadette whispered to Penny, "I could get use to this." making them both giggle.

"What is so funny?" Leonard asked.

Both girls said at the exact same time, "Nothing" which made them giggle more.

Howard just shook his head at Leonard and grabbed the sauce to bring to the table. Two minutes later they were all getting their food and starting to eat.

"This sauce is great. I love the spices." Howard said, complementing Penny and Leonard

"It is. You are going to have to give me the recipe." Bernadette added.

Penny started to giggle again and Leonard got a little red. "We don't know exactly how much spices to put in." Penny told them. "Leonard was putting some in and I sort of grabbed him, you know, and he lost track of the measurement."

"How did you grab….never mind. The sauce is still great." Howard said, while continuing to eat.

A little while later the girls were sitting on the couch, eating ice cream, while the guys cleaned up the kitchen. Bernadette was really enjoying the guys doing everything, it just felt so nice just coming home from work, eating, then relaxing. Penny and Bernadette just kept watching their guys cleaning up, then looking at each other smiling and giggling.

"I could reeeeaaaallllly get use to this." Bernadette told Penny, almost a whisper, making Penny giggle a little.

"I know, they are so cute." Penny told her, also almost a whisper.

"They are really great guys." Bernadette said.

"Yeah, they really are. I feel really lucky." Penny responded, sitting there thinking a minute. Bernadette just smiled at her.

The guys got everything cleaned up, even the girls ice cream bowls and joined them on the couch. Both girls wanted to sit in their men's laps, and no sooner then they got there, both men got rewarded with kisses for being so considerate. It took 10 minutes before they all settled down to discuss the evening.

"Do you want me to get another one of your movies?" Leonard asked.

"No, let's watch one of your space movies." Penny said and Bernadette agreed.

"Really, you want to watch a science fiction movie?" Howard asked in disbelief.

"Yes" Penny said, then "But, do any of them have a little romance in them?"

Howard thought for a moment. "Let me check and see if I can find it. I'll be back." he said as he gently got Bernadette off his lap and disappeared into his bedroom.

"Do you know what movie he's getting?" Leonard asked Bernadette

"Not a clue." Bernadette responded.

A few minutes later, Bernadette was getting ready to tell Howard to forget it and they would watch something else, when he came out wearing a big smile. "Found it." he said them put it in the DVD player and hit play. Howard then got back on the couch and pulled Bernadette back onto his lap.

Leonard was curious about what Howard had picked until she saw the title come up on the screen, 'STARMAN', "Good choice Howard," he said, and got a nod from Howard.

"We have never watched this, have we?" Bernadette asked Howard.

"No, I actually forgot I had it until now." Howard responded.

The two couples then settled in to watch the movie, the girls became deeply interested after the first twenty minutes. As the movie progressed the girls snuggled in more with their guys, as they became deeply engrossed in the movie. The ending had both girls with wet eyes, cuddling with their guys for emotional support.

"That movie was so good. He made himself to look at her dead husband, that was so beautiful. He gave him back to her for a little while." Penny said quietly

"I know, and he saved her life and brought that deer back to life. Plus that Government guy let him go. Also, Jeff Bridges is a hottie." Bernadette added, getting a smile and nod from Penny.

"I loved that movie Howard. Thank you." Penny told Howard, and Bernadette agreed, giving her husband a kiss.

It was now close to 10 PM and both couples went off to get ready for bed. Leonard helped Penny get ready, though she was needing less and less help each day, then he got ready himself. Penny was looking at him a little confused when he finally got under the covers with her.

"You didn't blow off work to watch the movie with me, did you?" she asked him once he got next to her.

"No, I am actually all caught up and a little ahead at work. Which brings up a question, I probably should have asked you Sunday night. The reason I'm caught up is because Alex is working with me again. I should have asked you first before I brought her back to work on the project again. I'm sorry." Leonard confessed to her.

Penny thought a minute, she trusted Leonard, she really did, "No, you didn't have to ask me, this is your work, it is important. But I'm glad you told me and didn't keep it as a secret." she told him.

"Well there is the clause in my marriage vows that says I can't keep secrets from my wife." Leonard teased her.

Penny swatted him, laughing, "And you better not forget it." she told him, laughing even harder. She then grabbed him and put her head on his chest, snuggling up to him as close as she could get. "You and Howard were great tonight, we girls love being taken care of by our men, you know. What was the special occasion?" she asked.

"Nothing really, it just seemed like the thing to do. We could tell you girls were enjoying it, so we just did it. To tell you the truth, I have always liked taking care of you. I guess I'm stupid, Huh." Leonard told her, while he was gently rubbing her back.

Penny couldn't help her eyes getting wet, her hormones made everything so intense, "Leonard nothing you have ever did for me is stupid. I am stupid for not making you understand how much you meant to me and how much I need you. I tried to fool myself, several years ago when we broke up, that I wasn't ready to love you, when I was already in love with you. Then a few months ago, Leonard, I was scared again, everything was so comfortable between us, it scared me, I never loved someone like I loved you and I never felt like that before. I was so confused and scared, I really did think maybe we needed to take a break, so I could sort things out. But then I thought about how it was when we broke up previously, and I knew I didn't want to loose you again, so I forced myself to get over my fears, and it turned out so good. I kept falling more and more in love with you, then it came to me in Las Vegas, I love being with you all the time, you make me happy and I wanted to be with you all my life. I don't know now what I would do without you and I love you taking care of me." Penny went quiet for a few seconds, then she told him, "Leonard, I sometimes wonder if I really knew what love was between a man and a woman, until I met you." a few tears running down her cheek, now.

Leonard was at a little loss for words, her words brought up so many emotions in him, he was afraid to say anything because he might end up tearing up himself. It got very quiet in the room, so quiet that Leonard thought he could actually hear his hand moving over the fabric of her pajamas, as he rubbed her back. He heard her small sniffles, she was crying, and it hurt him when she cried, especially when it was over something he did or over him. He needed to say something, he wished he was smarter and could just say the right words to make things better.

"Penny, remember how when we started dating again over a year ago and we decided to start fresh, like a software release?" he said quietly to her. He felt her head nod and barely heard a 'Yes' from her.

"Well a lot has happened, and we have had to work on a lot of bugs, and a couple rewrites, driving revisions, but I really think we are ready to role out the final product now. It will be a brand new fresh product, created by a lot of hard work, but now it is working and ready to be released. We know there will be updates, like in 7 months, but it is now ready for the world, it is new and amazing and the world is going to be in for a big surprise." he told her.

Penny was quiet for a couple of minutes, thinking, but everything made sense, "I like it Dr Hofstadter, I like it a lot." Penny told him, then she pulled herself up off his chest so she was looking at him. Looking into his eyes, always stirred something deep inside her, and she had to kiss him. They kissed for a long while , their tongues, needing each other, like their bodies. They slowly separated, both breathless, and Penny stared at Leonard, her mouth forming in a small smile, "Look out world because here we come," she said to him and they both started giggling.

Penny was laying on Leonard's chest again, and he could tell she was comfortable and getting sleepy. Leonard felt her giggles finally subside then shortly after, her gentle snoring as she feel quickly asleep on his chest. He laid there, enjoying the feeling of her on him, her sleep sounds and the smell of her. He was just smiling to himself and enjoying the moment, when sleep took him.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The alarm clock woke Leonard up, Wednesday morning, from deep restful sleep and he turned it off quickly. Today he wasn't upset if it woke up Penny, because he knew she would be up to see him go anyway. She was pulled in tightly against his chest, and he found it so hard to let her go, she was his world. He was trying to force himself to get up when Penny rotated in his arms to be face to face with him. Her eyes were fluttering open from sleep and she had a sweet little smile on her lips.

"Morning, Honey." she said, feeling so good waking in his arms.

"Morning Love-bug. Did you sleep well?" he greeted and asked her.

"Oh Yes." Penny responded and then stretched. When she brought her arms back down they were around Leonard's neck, so she could pull him close for her kiss.

After their kiss, Leonard kissed her neck, between he ear and shoulder, with small little kisses, that felt so good to her. She didn't want him to leave her bed, but she knew he had to go to work and if he kept this up, she was going to ask him to stay. She hated to do this but she was going to be his wife, so she needed to think about them and he needed to go to work, so he could get off early to take her to the doctor. So with all the determination she could muster, which wasn't much because she wanted him so much, she did the right thing.

"Sweetie, don't do something you can't finish." she cooed at him, suggesting by her tone that he was going to have to have intercourse with her.

That did the trick, Leonard immediately stopped, "Sorry, I got carried away, you look so beautiful in the morning, like an angel" he babbled on, embarrassed. He was still way too worried about some how hurting her, to have sex with her.

She knew she must be a sight, with her messy hair, her black eyes and cut forehead, but he was calling her a beautiful angel, it was destroying all her resolve. She gently moved his head to hers and then his lips to hers, so she could kiss him deeply but quickly. "Ok, Dr Hofstadter, you need to get ready for work, so you can take your poor pregnant fiancée to the doctor later." she said trying to sound serious.

"OK", Leonard said sadly, and got up and went to the bathroom for his shower. When he came out, ready to go, he was surprised to see Penny at the stove, finishing up putting French Toast on a plate for him. Leonard sat down to a fresh cup of coffee, exactly like he liked it, while Penny put a plate of French toast in front of him and the syrup. He then watched her take a plate and a cup of juice to the seat next to him, sit down and then look at him as she drank her juice.

Leonard smiled, "You know you don't have to do this, I can get something at the University. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate you doing this, it is really sweet, but you don't have to." he told her.

"I know. I just am trying to practice being your wife." Penny said, smiling at him.

"You know Penny, even with the baby and all, I still want you to pursue your dreams. We can work something out with the baby, she'll get all the love she needs, but her mother will also get all the satisfaction she needs in her life. I want to be an actress, a college student or anything else you want to be. You know Cal Tech has day care." Leonard said to her, seriously.

"You know, I always knew, that with you, my life would be good. I always knew." Penny told him, as a thought crossed her mind. "But I do think, I want to spend probably the first year, after she is born, just being her mother." then Penny suddenly stopped and looked strangely at Leonard. "You know we are already calling the baby she and her."

Leonard chuckled, "I always thought we would have smart and beautiful babies and I always wanted the first one to be a little you." he told her.

"That is so sweet, but if it is a boy, we can still keep him, right." Penny teased him, trying to act like she was asking a serious question.

Leonard almost choked on the piece of French Toast he had just put in his mouth as he started to laugh at her comment. Penny had to pat his back, but she was also having a tough time with her laughing with him and at him.

"What is so funny?" Howard said, as he stood in their bedroom door, stretching, Bernadette joining him at his side a moment later.

"Leonard said I could keep any babies that popped out of me, in the next seven months." Penny said, immediately making her and Leonard laugh again.

Bernadette looked at Howard confused, "I should hope so!" she said to them, which only made Leonard and Penny laugh harder.

The next fifteen minutes, all four of them sat at the table, eating French Toast and drinking coffee and juice, that Penny had prepared for them all. Penny told Howard and Bernadette why her and Leonard were laughing, which made Bernadette giggle when she heard the whole story. Then as Leonard was finishing up his coffee, Bernadette got all quiet and looked at them.

"You know, ever since I found out you were pregnant, I always thought you were pregnant with a little girl." Bernadette confessed. "I know it is silly, but that just stuck in my head."

Penny then got quiet, looking around at everyone, "Me too. I haven't been able to get girl names out my head." she confessed.

Leonard smiled, "Oh Balls and I thought being named Leonard was getting me beat up enough in school. If we have a boy and you name him Ann or Mary or Sue, we better be ready to home school him." Leonard told Penny, trying to sound serious, but only ending up sending everyone into fits of laughter.

A few minutes later, while Howard and Bernadette where in their room getting ready, Penny and Leonard were at the door, saying goodbye to each other. Penny was in her slippers and Leonard in his sneakers, which made her a hair shorter then him, so when they were together like this, very close, their noses touched, like they were now doing. Being able to look into Leonard's eyes and having their noses touch, like they were, seemed so extremely intimate to Penny and she never understood why she ever had liked tall guys before. She felt like an equal with Leonard, that they were part of a team and she knew he felt the same way, it was another of the many reasons she loved him.

"Well I better go." Leonard told her, trying to convince himself to leave.

"I know." Penny said with a little sadness in her voice. Her arms were on his shoulders and it was easy to pull his lips to hers, so she did, kissing him deeply.

Their lips parted and Leonard looked at her, "Wow!" he said, "It is sort of hard to leave, when you kiss me like that" he told her, smiling at her.

"That is just so you don't forget what you have waiting for you here." She teased him. "I'll be waiting ready to go when you get back this afternoon." she said more seriously.

"Ok, see you at 3 PM." he responded, opening the door and turning to give her one last quick kiss on the lips, which surprised her. "One for the road." he said.

Penny giggled then smacked his butt as he went through the door, "Drive carefully Sweetie." she told him, then closed the door and leaned against it sighing, 'She really loved that man'.

Leonard pulled up to Sheldon's apartment complex, early and looked around, spotting only one news car, where yesterday there had been two. Sheldon came down and got in a couple minutes later. "See, I'm early today, to make up from yesterday." Leonard told Sheldon, with a smile.

"I don't see how getting here early today, makes up for yesterday. We will still be on time today and we were still late yesterday." Sheldon reminded him, think how silly Leonard was.

"We were only 15 minutes late yesterday and no one noticed." Leonard said, really getting tired of this conversation already.

"I noticed and it denied me 15 minutes of work that might have allowed me to solve string theory." Sheldon said, scolding him.

"Yeah, you're going to solve string theory." Leonard said under his breathe, forgetting about Sheldon's Vulcan hearing.

"Leonard, unlike you, I am devoted to science, so I feel confident that I will succeed. While the only thing you have succeeded in, is getting Penny pregnant, which if I understand correctly, was not planned, therefore a mistake, so you haven't really succeeded in anything." Sheldon told him, thinking that should put him in his place.

Leonard slowly counted to ten in his head, trying to think of happy thoughts, like Penny, while he tried to control his temper. He just added another big plus for marrying Penny, he wouldn't have to live with Sheldon any more, and that happy thought made him smile all the way to work that morning. He didn't remember if Sheldon had said anything else that morning in the car, he had tuned him out of his mind.

Leonard felt happy again, as soon as Sheldon left him to go to his office, and Leonard even started to whistle, thinking that when him and Penny were living together, he could do that all he wanted. His mood never changed, when he went to open his door and turn on his computer for the day, and he had a huge smile on his face when Alex walked into his office 10 minutes later.

One of the reason Leonard and Alex worked so good together is that they would quickly develop a very efficient routine, when working together, capitalizing on each others strengths. Part of their routine was to first get a cup of coffee and discuss what they needed to do that day and then divide up the tasks. Leonard was the brains, when it came to the science, having years of schooling and years of experience in experimental physics. Alex was the student, but one that picked up quickly and she was sort of the brawn, she worked the routine calculations, and equipment setup descriptions. But Alex did have one specialty, where she was the master over Leonard, she was a savant at writing reports and had an excellent grasp of English and grammar. Leonard would tell her what he wanted in each paragraph and Alex would make it something that was a joy to read. That reason alone was making it easy for her and Leonard to get ahead on his, no their, project paper.

Alex worked on calculations, that Leonard had taught her about, her work reviewed, checked and verified by Leonard, every step of the way. This was an important project and the paper could have no errors. Alex was learning things at the post doctoral level, and her understanding of lasers and their applications in physics had grown ten fold since working with Leonard. She found herself sharing some of the passion, Leonard felt for the field and was starting to feel maybe that this is where she wanted to go in her career. Working with Leonard was addicting and she found her time with him, both rewarding and too short.

Janice was sitting at her desk with Penny's file in front of her, staring at it. The only thing she had in it was a listing of all Penny's traffic tickets, nothing else. She had called all the people that were arrested in the party raid, Friday night, and they would either not talk to her, without their lawyers, or the ones who did talk, didn't know anyone named Penelope. She had no evidence, except for some news reports, which weren't evidence, that Penelope had done anything wrong, and they were going to court tomorrow. Janice sighed, and looked through her paperwork again and prepared to make a few more phone calls.

Leonard was whistling in the car as he pulled up to Bernadette and Howard's apartment and was just about to park the car when Penny walked up to the car to get in. She really looked cute, she was dressed up in a colorful sun dress with a stylish jacket over it and short healed shoes that matched her purse and her outfit. She practically bounced in the passenger seat and leaned over to kiss him, a big smile on her face. She even had bangs in her hair, when did she get bangs he thought.

Penny was happy and excited to see Leonard, however he just kept sitting there with his eyes wide, which confused her, "What's wrong honey?" she asked.

Leonard shook his head to break the trance, "You look stunning. When did you get bangs?" he said and asked.

Penny giggled, "Thank you, a girl always likes it when her man is awestruck by her." Penny told him, giggling again, "The bangs are artificial, they come off, and I thought they would cover my forehead and take away a lot of the prominence of my black eyes." she told him.

"Wow, you really did a good job. Your injuries are hardly noticeable at a casual glance." he told her.

Penny giggled, she loved how Leonard was looking at her. She had tried to hide her injuries and look cute, and the look on Leonard's face had made all her effort worth while. "Well Sweetie, though I love the way you're looking at me, we really need the doctor to look at me. Maybe you could take me out after the appointment." she said to him.

Leonard smiled, "Yes, of course." he said, then got his car moving and heading to the doctor's office.

Leonard and Penny got to Dr Roger's office early, which was good because they had a lot of forms to fill out and since Penny's right hand was in a cast, Leonard had to do the writing. Leonard was very lucky with his health insurance, single people on his plan were allowed to declare a significant other, to their plan, and pay the family rate. It was a setup that was to allow same sex relationships the benefits married people had, but in Leonard's case it allowed him to have Penny covered before they got married, he had added her Monday afternoon. They finished up all the forms and Penny took them back to the nurse receptionist.

Nurse Ann Parker noticed Penny's facial injuries as soon as she walked in and was a little bit concerned. She hoped it wasn't another case of the boyfriend not really wanting the baby or the mother, so he was abusing her, it had happened before. She took the paperwork from Penny, but then asked her a few questions, trying to get Penny to tell her how she got hurt.

"Miss do you have any serious injuries the doctor needs to know about." Ann asked Penny.

"Just the one's from the auto accident and they are not serious, I was told. I wrote it down on the paperwork." Penny answered while pointing to one of the pages.

Ann sighed in relief, it was a big load off her mind that this pretty young girl was not being abused. "Oh, I see, good. Then I think I have everything. Please take a seat and the doctor will see you in a few minutes." Ann told Penny. Ann watched Penny walk over to her boyfriend and sit close to him, she saw that Penny was nervous, but then she noticed how her boyfriend took her hand to comfort her. Penny's face then just lightened up in a smile, as she then gave her boyfriend a kiss, which made Ann smile, they obviously cared about each other.

Fifteen minutes later, Penny was called in and she walked over to the nurse, while she kept looking back at Leonard. The nurse saw Leonard watching her intently, with concern written all over his face. "Is he the father?" Nurse Dawn Powell said to Penny. "If he is he can come with you for your checkup." Dawn told Penny.

Penny turned to Leonard with a big smile on her face, "Leonard, you can come with me." Penny told him excitedly.

Leonard was at her side in a couple quick steps, looking at Dawn, "Thank you" he told Dawn as he took Penny's hand.

Leonard and Penny were left in the exam room and Leonard was allowed to help her into an exam gown. He now knew why she wore the dress, because it was easy to get off and get into the gown. They waited in the exam room for a few minutes for the doctor, with Penny sitting on the table and Leonard standing next her, holding her hand, while talking to her. A few minutes later, the doctor walked in with Nurse Powell. Doctor Harold Rogers, was 45, and had one of those faces and manners that made you instantly trust him, Leonard felt Penny instantly relax when the Dr Rogers started to talk to her.

Dr Rogers greeted them, then took a minute to look over the papers Penny and Leonard filled out and some computer sheets. "Ok, all this paperwork looks good, and this treatment information, from county, looks like your injuries were not too bad, the worst being your broken wrist. The blood test says you are pregnant and there was a slight amount of alcohol in it, but not really enough to matter. So let us just check you out." the doctor told Penny.

"You have my records from the accident?" Penny asked surprised.

"Oh Yes, the release form allows us to get them and since I deliver most of my babies at county we have direct computer access to their system, so we pulled them up while you were waiting. Isn't technology marvelous." the doctor said with a smile.

Penny felt bad and had to confess. "I had two glasses of wine that night." she told the doctor.

"That shouldn't be a problem. You're not a heavy drinker are you." the doctor said jokingly

Penny now felt so ashamed, and her eyes were becoming wet, "I haven't been drinking much at all, except I got really drunk, a few weeks back, in Las Vegas. I had no idea I was pregnant." Penny told him, she was starting to cry. "Oh God, I didn't hurt my baby, did I."

Dr Rogers dealt with emotional pregnant women all the time, so Penny's sudden grief was not too much of a surprise. He noticed the concern on both her face and on the father's face, they were both worried about the baby, which was good, they were both invested in this pregnancy and that would make it easier. "One time is usually not a severe problem, but we don't want you to do that anymore, so no more drinking, ok. We'll check on your baby during the exam and from now on, ok." Dr Rogers said to her in a soothing voice.

Penny just nodded to the doctor and took the tissue the nurse offered her, to wipe her eyes. "Thank you." she told the doctor, who smiled at her.

Dr Rogers also noticed the relief on the father's face, these two acted more like a married couple than a lot of married couples he saw. The father was being a source of comfort for the mother, they had held hands the whole time he had been there and the father seemed terribly concerned about her. He was really surprised they were not married.

"I'm sorry I didn't get the father's named." Dr Rogers asked, he was now wondering about them, plus the girl now looked familiar.

"He's Dr Leonard Hofstadter." Penny said proudly, which made Leonard look at her in surprise.

Dr Rogers was surprised, a doctor, that seemed strange because he now remembered where he had seen the girl before. "Were you in that accident with Todd Stewart?" he asked Penny.

"Yes, unfortunately." Penny answered

"The news said the baby was his." Dr Rogers said, now wondering what was happening, was there something going on here, some deception.

"No, it's not. It's mine, I can tell you within in an hour of when she was conceived." Leonard said to Rogers, defensively.

"The news, is all a lie, Leonard and I have been together for a long while… and she was conceived on a romantic weekend… by accident, but we love her…. and we are getting married in three months." Penny told them, she was getting upset and was about to cry again.

Leonard squeezed Penny's hand and rubbed her back with his other, trying to calm her, she was so upset, "It's ok, honey, we can find another doctor." he told her, looking at Dr Rogers in disgust.

Rogers felt stupid and mad at himself, he was surprised and he hadn't handled it well. The way these two acted they were either the best actors in the world or the baby was actually theirs, and he believed the second scenario, that it was theirs. "I'm sorry, please forgive me, I meant no disrespect, it is just difficult sometimes to differentiate truth from lies on the news, but you probably know that. I want to be your doctor. I am here for you." Rogers told Penny, which started to calm her down. "Are we Ok?" Dr Rogers asked Penny and she nodded.

"Ok, I would like to check out your injuries before we do the maturity exam, is that alright?" Dr Rogers asked Penny and she nodded again. Dr Rogers then proceeded to look at all her injuries from the accident, including the stitches on her forehead, putting a new pad on them to replace the one he took off for the exam. "You have a lot of bruising, but that will go away and you are probably feeling better already, right?" he asked her, and Penny nodded. "The wrist is fractured so you will be in that cast for a few weeks, and you will need to go back to the hospital for that, since we are not equipped for that here. The stitches however, can be removed Friday and we can do that, if you want." he told her, and again Penny nodded, she liked that idea. "Good, so lets now see how the baby is doing." Dr Rogers said, and Penny now finally smiled and squeezed Leonard's hand, which she had never let go the whole time.

The exam went smoothly and there was nothing to suggest it wasn't going to be just a normal pregnancy. The ultrasound had Leonard and Penny so excited to hear their baby's heart beating strongly and seeing the small little thing on the screen that was their baby. The nurse gave them four pictures of their baby, which they both handled like they were fragile eggs. After the exam was over, Penny got dressed and then both of them went to the doctor's office to discuss her pregnancy.

Dr Rogers smiled as they entered and offered them seats. "Well Penelope, you pregnancy looks perfectly normal for the number of weeks you have been pregnant." Rogers told them, making both Penny and Leonard smile. "We'll run the blood tests, but I don't expect anything not normal, because you seem very fit and healthy." He told her, which made her smile more. "I have some prescriptions for you, prenatal stuff, and some pamphlets on your pregnancy. So we'll see you Friday, to remove you stitches and then a month from now, just to make sure you are all healed from the accident and don't have anything that will affect your pregnancy. The bottom line is everything is normal, so take you pills, read the pamphlets, take care of yourself, and please keep out of auto accidents, and you should have a normal pregnancy with no surprises." Rogers finished, giving them a smile.

Leonard and Penny thanked Dr Rogers and were leaving the office, when "Oh, one more thing. Why do you think your baby is a girl? We still can't tell on the ultrasound the sex. Did the hospital take amniotic fluid to check, because it is not in your records." Dr Rogers asked.

Penny blushed, "No, it is just that we feel it is a girl, it is just a feeling, and my friends all feel the same way, so we have been calling the baby she." Penny confessed to him, Leonard slowly nodded.

"Ok, at this point, your guess is as good as mine. Congratulations you will be parents in about 7 months." Rogers said with a smile

Penny and Leonard thanked him again and walked out holding hands, both lost in their own happy thoughts. Ann provided them the pregnancy information, the prescriptions and made her next appointment for Friday. Leonard and Penny walked to Leonard's car high on happiness, everything was going to be Ok, everything was normal, it was such a relief.

Leonard knew this little quiet restaurant on the beach that was sort of dark and cozy, the food was good and it had a good view of the boats coming and going. He had been meaning to take Penny there for a while and today was perfect for their first real date together since they got back together. Leonard gave the greeter some money and they ended up in a secluded little dark booth that had a good view of the water and boats. He could tell Penny was excited because as she talked she kept squeezing his hand.

"Oh Leonard, this place is so romantic, I love it." Penny told him, excitement in her voice. Today, even with its rocky start, at the doctors office, was turning out to be great and being on a date with Leonard just made her so happy.

"Yeah, it is isn't it. I like to take all my pretty girls here." Leonard teased.

Penny knew he was teasing her and complementing her at the same time and she loved him for it. "Well as long as I'm the last girl on that list to come here with you. Also thank you for putting me on the pretty girls list, with how I look." She teased him back.

He couldn't tease her anymore, he wanted to be serious, "Well you were the inspiration for the list and the only person on the list." he told her.

Penny tried not to cry, "Oh Leonard." and she moved close to kiss him. "So I'm the only girl you have taken here, so that makes it our place." she said to him smiling.

"Yes you are the only one, so I guess it does make it our place." he agreed with her.

Penny smiled, "When everything settles down, I want to have a little engagement party here with our friends." she told him, and he just nodded.

The menu was pretty extensive and Penny found several items that she craved, so she had a great dinner. Penny even sneaked a couple tasty pieces of Leonard's fish and stole a few of his crispy French Fries. The great meal and a small bowl of ice cream had her full and content leaning against Leonard's shoulder, while they talked quietly to each other. It was a perfect evening, that even got better, when Penny realized there was a small dance floor and a couple of people slow dancing together. She didn't even have to ask him, he took one look at her and lead her out to the dance floor. The music was soft and soothing and Penny laid her head on Leonard's shoulder, while her good hand played with the hair on the back of his head, this was perfect. They danced for a few songs, until a very upbeat number started playing, that they really couldn't slow dance to.

"Let's go home." Penny said to Leonard, giving him a small kiss.

"You sure." He asked her.

"Yes, it has been a wonderful day, and I am a little tired now, let's go home." she repeated and kissed him again.

Leonard settled the bill, leaving a very good tip and walked with her, arm in arm to the car. They talked quietly, all the way to Bernadette's, about the baby, the evening and their upcoming wedding, both happy with each topic. It was almost 10 PM when they entered the apartment, happily talking and giggling with each other.

"Well everything must be good with the baby, you two seem very happy." Bernadette said to them, getting smiles from both of them.

"Everything is very normal, the doctor said, everything is good. We had a very romantic dinner and we went dancing." Penny told her, while she twirled around, her sun dress billowing out as she twirled. She continued to twirl until she twirled herself into Leonard's arms, then she kissed him, deeply and long. She forgot about time, until she heard Howard cough and say something about them needing a hotel room, that seemed funny to her and made her break away giggling.

Penny calmed herself and gave Howard a very serious look, then she took Leonard's hand and lead him to the bedroom, "Come on honey, I need you to get me out of this dress." she said to Leonard, while giving him her best mad face, "And Underwear." she added.

Howard and Bernadette smiled at each other after Penny closed the door. Bernadette got off the couch and turned out the lights, then grabbed Howard's hand, "I need help getting out of my clothes too", she said seductively to him, walking an eager Howard behind her.


	58. Chapter 58

**WARNING: This chapter is rated "M", so you were warned. Thanks again to everyone that has posted reviews, because I enjoy reading them.**

Chapter 58

Penny and Leonard started to get ready for bed as soon as they entered the bedroom. Penny pushing her body next to Leonard and asking him to take off her dress. Leonard knew she could easily take off her dress, and he was really worried she wanted sex, because he felt she wasn't ready for that, right now and they had been so concerned in the doctor's office he had forgot to ask him anything about it. Her dress being removed seemed to get her more frisky, because she wanted him to take her bra off, saying she couldn't do it with her hand in a cast, which Leonard knew was a lie because he seen her do it many times with one hand. No sooner did he removed he bra, she turned and started undressing him, taking his shirt off and stripping him to just his boxers. She then got very close to him, pressing her bare chest against his bare chest, which was always a turn-on for both of them. He had to stop this, he had let her go too far already, he was desperate for a reason to stop, then he saw she still had her makeup on.

"Penny we need to get that makeup off your face." Leonard told her, knowing she couldn't go to bed with it on.

Penny stopped, "Oh crap, I forgot, will you help me?" she asked him.

Leonard put his t-shirt on and Penny her pajamas, then they both put robes on, and went to the bathroom to get Penny's face clean. It was difficult because she had used a lot of makeup to help cover her black eyes and there was makeup around the scab on her forehead. Leonard worked for the next half hour gently getting it off while she sat quietly watching him. After he finished they both took another few minutes to brush their teeth and finish getting ready for bed, Leonard dragging it out as long as he could. He then acted extremely tired and crawled directly into bed, not giving her time to try her little seductive tricks on him.

The long time in the bathroom and Leonard now resting in bed, had killed the mood, thought Penny, so she tried to just go to bed with him. She cuddled up to him as he took her into his arms, which was just were she normally liked to be, except her need for him increased, and she slowly turned in his arms till she was facing him. Looking into his eyes made it even worse, so she kissed him and it made it even more worse, she had to get control of herself. She laid her head on his chest and tried to calm herself, she was still touching him, running her fingers over the material of his t-shirt covering his chest.

As she continued to lay there, while rubbing his belly with her hand, it became too much for her, "Leonard, make love to me." she asked him softly.

Leonard was trying to think of a response to her remark, when she asked him to make love to her, and now he was really concerned about what to say next. "Penny, honey, we can't you are still too banged up from the accident." he tried to reason with her.

"We could be careful, I am laying here comfortably now, so there is probably a good position we can have sex comfortably." She told him "Leonard, we haven't had intercourse since before the Las Vegas trip, I don't know how to say this, but I really need it now."

Leonard felt trapped, what was he going to say with the request she just made. Well he was going to have to spill his fears to her about the baby. "Penny, there's another thing, I don't want to hurt the baby either, I don't know what would happen if we have sex. We're so new at this right now, what if we do something wrong?" he told her.

Penny lifted herself off Leonard's chest and started to get off the bed, scaring him. "Penny, what's wrong?" he asked, desperation in his voice.

Penny looked at him and saw the worried look on his face, which was not what she intended to do, "I'm just want to get your laptop so we can Google, sex with pregnant women, so we get it right." she told him, smiling at him.

"Stay here, I'll get it." he said, then got up to find it. Penny laid back down in the covers, watching him the whole time.

The next 20 minutes, Penny and Leonard read all about sex during pregnancy. Penny was so happy to find out there were no major restrictions and it didn't really hurt the baby as long as you stayed away from the real kinky stuff. They had even found a site showing good positions when she got really large, and she had Leonard bookmark that page for reference several months down the road.

"Ok, it says there is no problem having sex now." Penny told him after he turned off his laptop and put it away. Penny was laying on his chest again, so after she made her comment, she slipped her hand down, under the elastic of his boxers, and started to rub him.

Leonard had in no way expected Penny to do this, and he jumped in surprise, which made her giggle. Penny was right, they not had sex in a long time and her manipulation of him was getting him aroused quickly. "Penny, if you keep doing that, we won't be having sex, I will have had sex." he pleaded.

Penny giggled, he had no idea, how much she wanted him. She remembered how she wanted to kiss every part of his body earlier, well why not start here she thought to herself. "Well I owe you from this wonderful afternoon and evening, so you're just going to have do it at least twice tonight." he said with another giggle. Then before he could respond, she pushed his boxers down and a couple minutes later it was over.

Leonard was a little embarrassed as Penny pulled herself up to look into his eyes. "Come here, you vixen." he told her.

"You sure you want to kiss me." she giggled

"I'm not Sheldon, come here." he commanded, then kissed her and she kissed him back.

Penny moved herself so she was completely on top of Leonard, her legs on each side of his hips. They kissed very passionately for several minutes, arousing Penny significantly and she started to move her hips on his crotch as the intensity of her arousal increased. Penny always aroused Leonard, by just being herself, now however, she had him ready to go, after only 20 minutes. But he was still a little afraid of hurting her, and she could tell.

"Honey, if it hurts, I promise I'll let you know. OK" she whispered to him. "I'm really comfortable right now, like I am now, so why don't we do it with me on top, then I can control things, OK."

Leonard nodded, so Penny leaned down and started to kiss him. After a few minutes the kissing got very intense again, Penny was grinding against Leonard, her whole body against him and her bruises were not bothering her at all, her mind had everything blocked out except for her pleasure. They were both kissing each other wildly, Penny couldn't believe how good it felt to be able to do this with him again, she was loosing herself in their love making.

Penny was pressed up against Leonard again, her arms around his neck and her mouth crushed against his, their tongues dancing together. When their lips parted, Leonard slowly removed her top and gently licked her nipples, sending tremors through her body. She felt Leonard's hands running down her back and it sent shivers through her, as he removed her pants and panties, but when he cupped her ass cheeks, she wanted him in her, now. She kissed him, then leaded back and sat up on him, sliding down on him, he seemed so big, each inch driving her wild until his tip butted against her and she gasped as her first orgasm washed over her. It took her a few seconds to regain her control, then she started to ride him like the cowgirl she was, each stroke driving her towards another climax, until her second orgasm came, more intense than the first. She laid on Leonard again and started to kiss him again, she was tired, but her stud fiancé was still ready and she decided she wasn't really that tired, but it was time for him to work.

Penny whispered to him. "Leonard I want to be on my back and you on top now."

Leonard pulled out of her, to her disappointment, then helped her to her back, then got over her, supporting his weight with his arms, to not put pressure on her. He was now in control and started to kiss her in all her sensitive spots, which was driving her wild, she was so turned on. Finally he had her on the crazy edge of ecstasy.

Penny grabbed his head, in her hands and pulled him to her face, "Leonard, please, I want you now." she whispered to him.

Leonard entered her again, and felt the tremors take over her body. He looked at her face and could see she was lost in her passion, she then wrapped her legs around him. She was insatiable and it was really turning him on. They got into a rhythm, with his thrusts and her hips moving up to greet them, it was getting wild. Penny was loosing it, she was starting to moan, loudly and Leonard knew she could scream at any moment so he clamped his mouth over hers.

Penny was way over the edge, each time an orgasm would peak then start to subside, another one would commence, she had never felt like this before. The world around her had disappeared, it was now only Leonard inside of her, his body against her, her tongue trusted into his mouth, and the unbelievable feelings that were washing over her body. She thought is couldn't get any better, then she felt a building sensation in her, Leonard's thrusts had taken a new rhythm and she felt her body matching, making everything even more passionate. The intensity was increasing rapidly and Penny thought she might burst, but just when she thought it couldn't get more powerful, it leaped ahead and she went over the edge, falling into the abyss. Penny had lost complete control of her body, the spasms were so intense, and she had lost track of time, her mind, just mush from the waves of pleasure rolling over her.

Leonard had the most intense orgasm he ever had, him and Penny were covered in sweat. Penny was now more relaxed from the state she was in a few minutes ago, and now breathing better. He had been worried for a couple minutes when she locked her legs around him, pushing him deep inside her, screamed into his mouth and started to spasm. But now she was calmer and just smiling at him.

"I guess that was Ok then." Leonard teased her.

Penny was still smiling. "It was wonderful and you were freaking amazing, however, I'm not sure when I will be able to walk again." she told him, he didn't know she was being a little serious.

Leonard now knew he had actually wore her out and he was feeling bad he did it and proud he could do that. She was not in pain and they didn't hurt the baby, so Leonard felt relieved and happy.

"Honey, can you help me to the bathroom, I'm still a little light headed." Penny asked him, she was still feeling little tremors when she move certain parts of her body.

Leonard put the robes on both of them and helped her to the bathroom and sat, on the edge of the tub, with her, as she put her head on his shoulder. She was done in a couple minutes and was able to walk better back to the bedroom. Once in the room, Leonard started to look for his boxers and her pajamas, until she stopped him.

"Leonard, don't, I just want to lay with you and feel you against me." Penny said to him softly.

He put everything down and got back in bed, wrapping his arms around her as she pushed back, her bare backside against his bare chest. She loved the feeling of his skin against her and was asleep, gently snoring, a few moments later. Leonard laid there with her in his arms, the feeling of her against him so intimate and he was proud of himself that he could make her so comfortable. He fell asleep a few moments later.

They were both in a deep satisfying sleep again when the alarm clock went off and Leonard stopped it. Penny had stirred some but now she seemed fast asleep again, so Leonard got out of bed carefully and headed to the bathroom to get ready. He was again totally surprised when he found her at the table, with a toasted bagel and hot coffee waiting for him.

"Honey you're beat, you need your sleep." Leonard said to Penny as he sat down.

Penny was a little sleepy and her eyes had a bedroom look in them, but she was determined to be with him in the morning before he left. "I'm OK, it is only for a little while and I promise to go back to bed when you are gone." she told him.

Leonard ate and drank his coffee, never taking his eyes off of her and she drank her juice watching him the whole time.

"Thank you for last night. I don't remember if I told you, but you were like awesome." she said, smiling at him.

"Oh, I was just glad it worked out." he said shyly, she had just given his ego a big boost.

"Well, you'll get a card and flowers today, so don't make too much of it." she said and then giggled.

Leonard giggled too, it was their private joke now. "How are you feeling?" he asked

"Well as Sheldon would say that depends on what exactly you are talking about. Sexually, I am feeling very, very, satisfied." Penny winked at him. "Physically, the bruises are feeling better every day, my head stitches don't bother me, except now the scab just itches and I still have two black eyes, which are not fashion statements." she smiled at him, "Mentally, I hate the lies they are saying about me, and I still can't understand why they are doing that, but as long as you are with me, I know I can survive what they throw at me." she gave him a serious look, that made Leonard's heart swell. "Marriage wise, I worry we have so much to do, however, I can't wait to be your wife." now she was smiling again. "Finally pregnancy wise, I can't believe how happy I feel about it." she was now done, taking a drink of her juice.

Leonard smiled at her, she was so wonderful and he couldn't help thinking how much he loved her. "You know you're amazing too." he said to her.

"Yeah, you're probably right, and I am adorable." Penny said to him, trying to sound serious, but ending up giggling anyway.

Leonard giggled with her a little, then reached over to put a strand of her hair behind her ear, and after doing that, he gently caressed the side of her head. Penny leaned her head into his hand, it felt so good, and closed her eyes, just enjoying the moment. Penny heard his chair move and felt his hand move slightly, then she felt his lips on hers, they were so soft and warm. She didn't open her eyes again until their lips parted, she had zoned out completely while kissing him, her whole world reduced down to the feel of his lips on hers. He was now sitting close to her, his face so close, she could feel his breath, and at some time, she didn't know when, her left hand was now in his right, their fingers intertwined. She felt like jelly again, Leonard had that effect on her now, she was completely his, he had become her Prince Charming, and she needed him.

A moment or two later, she found her voice, "Do you have to go to work today?" she asked him quietly.

"Yes I do." Leonard said sadly, "I have to take Sheldon too."

"Oh, Okay, I forgot" Penny said, with sadness.

"How about I pick you up about 1 PM and we can have a short lunch, together." Leonard told her.

"I would really like that," Penny responded.

"Alright, it's a date." Leonard told her.

Penny and Leonard were lingering at the door, when Bernadette and Howard came out of their rooms again. They were whispering to each other and smiling, finally kissing for a few moments before Leonard left. Penny had not even noticed her friends presence, until she had finished watching Leonard get in his car and drive off.

"Good morning guys" she said, after she closed the door and turned to look back into the apartment. Then she sat down with them to eat a bagel and finish her juice. Penny talked to her friends a little but was mostly lost in her thoughts the whole time.

So when Howard went to use the bathroom, Bernadette asked Penny, "What are you thinking about so hard? Besides last night of course." Bernadette had a little wicked grin on her face.

Penny's cheeks got a little red, "Oh, you heard that. Sorry." she said shyly.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Howard was an animal last night, so you just drowned out our noise." Bernadette said, giggling, which made Penny giggle.

"You know Bernadette, I was just thinking that, I once dated this guy Mike for a while. He was handsome, had a good job, was good in bed and I thought he was the one. But now that I have been with Leonard and seen what a real man does when he is in love, I realize Mike never loved me and basically treated me like some sex toy. It really makes sense to me now, why we broke up and how he could replace me so easily, he didn't care. With Leonard, I always know where I stand, I know I am loved, and I know he'll be there for me. I know what it really means to be loved. That is one of the reasons I love him, so much. He is so wonderful, I miss him when he gone, and I am so happy when I am around him. Becoming his wife and carrying his child, just seem so unbelievably great to me." Penny told Bernadette, "Plus he is so cute and he is really awesome in bed." which got both girls giggling again.

"I think you have it bad, girl." Bernadette teased her.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Penny responded, smiling

Leonard pulled up to Sheldon's apartment, a few seconds before Sheldon walked out the door, which was a relief, because it spared him a reprimand for being late. Leonard noticed there were no more news vans or cars around the apartment, which made him smile, because maybe now they could get some more of Penny's stuff. Penny was told she needed to stay away for about 3 to 4 weeks, to make sure she wasn't bothered by them, because their attention span never lasted longer than that, for this type of story. Leonard thought things may be starting to get better already.

"Sheldon, when did the news people leave? I don't see any of their cars." Leonard asked.

"Sorry Leonard, but they took advantage of my not caring about them, and left when I wasn't concerned." Sheldon said dismissively.

Leonard was about to say something, but decided it was no use and just put the car in drive and pulled from the curb. Sheldon babbled on while they drove to work, while Leonard occupied his mind with his own thoughts. Leonard thought the trip would be bearable if he just tuned Sheldon out, but he was wrong.

"Leonard…..Leonard….Leonard!" Sheldon shouting finally brought him back.

"What Sheldon!" Leonard answered, also shouting.

"Don't shout at me. I'm not the one who is driving inattentively, risking my life." Sheldon lectured him.

"What do you want Sheldon?" Leonard asked while he grit his teeth.

"Since you are, I assume dating Penny again, when will you be moving back into the apartment. I need to add a Penny clause to the roommate agreement." Sheldon told him.

Leonard actually smiled, he was going to love this, "Sheldon, I am not moving back, I am moving in with Penny and then we are getting married in three months. After we are married we will probably move to a bigger place for the baby." he told him.

Sheldon said nothing, he just sat there, the rest of the way to the university, as quiet as a mouse, which suited Leonard just fine. Leonard parked his car and was about to get out when Sheldon became reanimated.

"Leonard that is unacceptable, and I will not allow it." Sheldon to him, sounding very serious.

Leonard looked at him thinking 'Is he serious' then realizing who he was talking to, "Sheldon, I don't care." Leonard told him.

"You better care, the roommate agreement is very specific about your duties to me and having a girlfriend does not relieve you of those responsibilities." Sheldon told him.

"Oh really, what does it say about having a wife?" Leonard asked him.

"There is nothing on wives, so they must be considered like girlfriends." Sheldon said, desperation in his voice.

"Wives are nothing like girlfriends, so since it is not covered in the roommate agreement, the agreement becomes null-in-void." Leonard told him.

Sheldon was at a loss for words, so Leonard just got out of his car and starting walking to his office, leaving a shocked Sheldon still sitting in his car. When Leonard entered the building he started whistling again, he was really starting to enjoy whistling again, and was still whistling when Alex showed up 15 minutes later.

"Good mood today." Alex asked, smiling at him.

"You could say that. Let's get some coffee." Leonard said, they then went to the cafeteria to get their ritualistic morning coffee and discuss their plan for work today.

Janice and her boss, Sue, were sitting in county court waiting for the Judge, there was no sign of Penelope. A moment later, the judge came out and the court proceeding started. "Where is the subject of this hearing?" the judge asked, obviously upset her time was being wasted.

Janice was nervous, so Sue spoke up, "Your honor, she is not here."

"Was she given the subpoena? Why isn't she here?" the judge demanded.

Sue looked at Janice, who nodded. "Yes your honor and we don't know why she is not here."

"Well this court and the county don't have time to waste on someone who can't be bothered to show up for their hearing. I am issuing a bench warrant for her arrest. She will put in jail to guarantee she makes her next court appointment." the judge stated, and ended the hearing.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Leonard and Alex got their morning coffee and spent the next two and a half hours getting more work done than Leonard could have gotten done, by himself, in a day. They had actually hardly talked to each other, while they worked, because they both knew what needed to be done and Alex knew exactly how Leonard wanted her to do her part of it. Leonard finally had to make Alex stop working, so she could go to lunch, then class, she had become so involved in what she was doing.

"Hey don't you have classes in an hour." Leonard said to Alex, making her tear her eyes away from the computer.

"It's okay, I just have a little more to do." she told him, as he walked up behind her.

"That little bit is going to take you over an hour and can wait till tomorrow." he said to her, really hinting she needed to stop.

Alex looked at him and knew he was serious, "Okay" she answered and started to save her work.

Alex sat with Leonard, in the cafeteria, as she ate her lunch. They just talked about the project and things in general, their cafeteria talks becoming more and more about things in general. It was like it was before, Alex was comfortable and happy just sitting and talking with Leonard, this was probably the best part of her whole day. It was hard knowing it wouldn't go any further than this, but she wouldn't trade these moments for anything.

"You're not eating anything, are you on a diet?" Alex joked with Leonard.

"No, I'm going to have lunch Penny in about an hour, so I'm saving my appetite." he told her.

It took every piece of self control, Alex had, to not react to Leonard's statement. She knew it was going to be difficult around Leonard, but him telling her, he was going to have lunch with Penny and thinking how intimate it would be, was hard on her. She weighted her options again, and it still came to, she would rather work with him and be his friend than loose him from her life. She then forced herself to act normal, this was her position now, so she needed to get use to it.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, I was feeling like a pig around you, with you not eating." she said, joking.

Leonard laughed, "Don't worry, I'll make up for it at lunch." he told her, then he got serious. "Alex how are you doing, with the mugging and everything. It looks like your head is almost completely healed, but how are you feeling."

Alex heart fluttered, he was concerned about her well being, of course he was, he was Leonard, "I actually feel much better since I got back. Being across the world from where it happened makes me feel safe and not in danger. So I don't really think about it much at all and since my head is almost healed, the reminder is gone. I guess I'm doing good. Thank you for asking." she told him.

"Good, good." Leonard said, then gave her a smile. "Alex are free tomorrow afternoon?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" she asked.

"I have a meeting tomorrow, with some of the board, the president and department head, on the project, and I would like you there. It would be good for you to get some face time with the big wigs too." Leonard told her.

This was a pretty important thing for him to ask her and she was honored, "Ok, I'll dress in something better than jeans then." she said

"Good, we can talk more about it tomorrow morning. Have fun in class." he said, as Alex got up to leave.

Alex went to classes and since now they were seriously ahead of schedule, Leonard told his department secretary that he was taking the afternoon off. He asked Howard if he could take Sheldon home, which Howard reluctantly agreed to, when he found out Leonard wanted to spend the afternoon with Penny. Leonard then got in his car and headed to the apartment whistling to the radio, the whole way, happy he was going to be with Penny.

Penny was dressed and looking out the window waiting for Leonard. She was a little nervous, no excited, she was going on another date with him, and it thrilled her just to think of it. She didn't have much makeup on this time, she was going to wear the bangs again and sunglasses as much as she could, she really hoped he liked it. She almost squealed when she saw his car pull up, she immediately went out the door, locked it and went over to his car.

Leonard was amazed again when she got in the car, she was all dolled up again and she looked beautiful. "Wow." he said, as he stared at her, making her giggle. She looked so good, he felt like a slob right now. He now also knew where he wanted to take her and so he needed to change.

"Penny, I want to change, so could we go in a minute." he asked her.

"Ok, sure, but you look cute." she said, then leaned over to kiss him.

"It will just take a couple minutes, I promise." he told her.

"Ok" she told him, and followed him back into the apartment.

Leonard hurried, he changed his pants to some nice black jeans, threw on a nice button down shirt, then grabbed his matching sport jacket, a little cologne and he was done. He walked out of the bathroom, to find Penny staring at him now. Leonard thought he had gotten the colors or combination of clothes wrong, but then she smiled.

"Sweetie, you look so handsome." she said and gave him a leering look. "How much time do we have for lunch and where are we going?" she asked him

"I have the afternoon off and it is a surprise." he told her, "That is if you can give me the rest of the day?"

"Well I will have to check my schedule." she said, then smiled, "But for you, my day is open."

Leonard and Penny drove towards the ocean, as they talked and laughed the whole way. It was a little drive, but the afternoon traffic was light, so once near the ocean, Leonard found the parking lot for the pier he was looking for. He parked the car and helped Penny out, very satisfied by the confused expression of her face.

"Are we going to look at the boats?" Penny asked, her question full of puzzlement.

"Well sort of." Leonard said smiling. "The one over there is used for day cruises. It goes out in an hour, taking you out so where you can see whales and dolphins, then they have a dinner and evening dancing, returning a little after dusk." he told her, noticing her face light up.

"Oh Leonard, that is so romantic. How do you know about all these places, like the restaurant yesterday and this?" she asked him, her eyes full of excitement

"Well when we were in the 'Beta' test of our relationship, remember the bug reports?" he said and she nodded, "Well I started asking people and getting advice on nice fun dates to take you on. I actually have a list, I keep." he told her.

"Leonard you are wonderful." Penny told him, then put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. When they pull apart, their noses were only inches apart and they stared into each others eyes, just enjoying being close to each other. "Honey, we better get on your boat, or I am going to take you to a hotel." Penny told him, a trace of lust in her eyes, making Leonard laugh.

"Ok, hold that thought." he told her, then took her hand to lead her to the boat.

The day had been magical for Penny, she was now wore out on their trip back to Howard and Bernadette's apartment. Leonard had taken Dramamine before the boat left, so he was fun and happy the whole trip, with no sea sickness and that had made the experience very fun and happy for her too. They had seen whales and dolphins had raced along side the boat, much to everyone's excitement. The dinner had been good, and the sea air had really made Penny hungry, so Leonard had shared his meal with her, after hers was gone. Then later they danced, a lot, even during some of the fast music, Leonard tried really hard and Penny kept thinking how cute he was. Of course, they danced to almost all the slow music, and Penny got to spend a lot of time snuggled up to Leonard, her head on his shoulder, just dreamily swaying to the music, like she loved to do with him. It was just getting dark when the boat was cruising back into port and they stood at the rail watching the city lights, hand in hand, just enjoying each other's company. It was truly a magical day and now she was tired. Penny was sitting in the passenger seat with her left hand holding Leonard's looking at him dreamy eyed.

"Leonard, I had a wonderful day. Thank You." Penny said to him, her eyes gazing at him lovingly.

"Good, that was my goal. I was worried you might get sick, but I though the chances were low because you haven't really been sick with your pregnancy." he said to her, while he drove.

"No, I have been lucky. I feel I have been real lucky lately." she said, whimsically

"Really, even with the car accident and everything." Leonard asked her, a little confused.

"Yes, because the accident let me know I was pregnant so now I can take good care her." Penny said, as she rubbed her tummy, which made Leonard smile. "Also, I know now that acting is not my only choice in life, I could go back to school and do something different with my life."

Leonard couldn't help but smile, Penny had changed some, part of it was new found confidence and part of it was accepting love. He as so happy her accepting love was love for him, all his life he had wondered what it felt like to be truly in love and the other person loving you, the same way and now he knew, it was wonderful. "Penny, I truly think you can do anything you want, and I promise to help you pursue any path you take." Leonard told her.

Leonard's words made Penny's eyes get wet, but she didn't want to cry because it would ruin their wonderful day. "Leonard, have you been thinking of girl names?" Penny asked, to change the subject to something less emotional.

"Yeah, actually I have." Leonard answered, and they talked about girl names and unisex names the whole rest of trip back to the apartment.

Penny and Leonard were discussing the names Samantha and Samuel, since both would be called 'Sam' when they walked in the door of the apartment to find Howard and Bernadette sitting on the couch.

"Leonard have you seen the news." Howard asked him, a little excited.

Leonard was worried, him and Penny had a wonderful day and he didn't want her to be upset with bad news about her. "No Howard, we went on a day cruise and had a great day." Leonard said trying to get him to drop the subject.

"Well, this may be great too." Howard said. "The university let out a press release today, did you know that?" Howard asked him.

"Dr Gablehauser told me they had to because there were rumors being spread, so they thought it was necessary." Leonard told him, a little confused.

"Well they also released your name, and the news has already been talking about you and discussing your biography. Leonard, they are calling you one of geniuses of our time, and comparing you to Einstein." Howard told him, watching Leonard's face turned stunned.

Penny was also watching Leonard, and she could see the expression on his face, he was not really happy, more confused. She knew like everyone, Leonard liked being recognized for his work, but also he was terribly modest, so this much attention was upsetting to him. She really believed his mother had a lot to do about it, she made him believe he was not really brilliant, like he was, and always put him down, so now he shied away from praise.

Penny grabbed his arm and pulled him close so she could kiss him. "Honey, I'm so proud of you." she told him, and was rewarded when he looked at her and smiled.

"Have you got a lot of calls." Bernadette now asked.

"No, my phone went dead on the drive to the ship, so since Penny's phone was fully charged, I didn't bother to do anything." Leonard told them, but now he was curious and went to get his charger. Fifteen minutes later, after the phone had been plugged in for about ten minutes, Leonard turned it on and they all gasped. Leonard had 96 missed calls and his voice mail box was full. The phone started to ring as they looked at it, with an unknown caller, and Leonard immediately turned the ringer to mute. He looked at his friends dumbfounded, and they returned sympathetic smiles, Penny told him 'Sorry Sweetie' and kissed him, because she didn't know what else to do.

"Good thing you weren't back at the apartment and are hiding out here with Penny. Can you imagine what it would be like if the press knew where you were?" Howard told him, after looking at Leonard's phone.

Leonard sighed, looking at Penny, "Maybe you are right, we both are lucky." he told her, and she just nodded.

"You might have to get a pay phone too." Penny responded, giving him a hug and another kiss.

Sheldon didn't feel lucky, he had unplugged the home phone after the first thirty calls asking about Leonard. He had turned his cell phone to vibrate, because some how they found out he was Leonard's roommate and now they were calling him. But the phones weren't the worst thing, the knocks on the door were driving him crazy. He stopped answering the door two hours ago and was now hiding in his room, with the lights off in the apartment, working in the dark on his laptop.

Leonard, Leonard, Leonard, everyone wanted to know about Leonard and it was driving him crazy, didn't they understand that Leonard was average, noting to get excited about. These people were morons, Leonard's work was mundane, nothing like his work on String Theory, they were just not intelligent enough to understand. He reasoned that they were a journalism majors and didn't even know how to spell Physics, but the university should have known better. He was their golden boy not Leonard, Sheldon Cooper PHD was the beautiful mind, Leonard was only good enough to do menial tasks for people like him. Well he never thought the people at the Cal Tech were that smart anyway, they had gotten all excited when Raj found that stupid planet, too.

Although all this silliness about Leonard, was making him mad, however, the thing that really upset him was that this ridiculousness was upsetting his routine and that had to stop. He had already missed going out to the comic book store tonight, and he had been forced to eat leftovers from the refrigerator tonight too. This was completely unacceptable, and if that wasn't bad enough, Leonard was violating the roommate agreement and moving out. Sheldon was beside himself, and for the first time, he needed another human being to talk to, he realized he needed Amy.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Penny got off the phone with Amy, after making plans to run around with her the next day. Friday was Amy's last day, of the week off she took, and the idea of spending the whole day with her Bestie was very exciting for her. Amy also agreed to take Penny to the doctor, to remove her stitches and to pick up her car, which was still at the studio parking lot. Amy was going to stop by the apartment, to pick Penny up as soon as she took Sheldon to work, because everyone thought it would be better for Amy to take Sheldon, instead of Leonard, because of the press hanging around the apartment. Penny and Amy had a full day planned for Friday.

It was getting late, Bernadette and Howard had gone to bed and Leonard was just sitting on the couch watching the news about him. Penny could see the misery on her fiancé's face, which made her feel bad for him. He had given her such a wonderful day and it was now time for her to cheer him up. "Honey, it's late don't you want to go to bed? Your snuggle bunny is a little tired." Penny said sweetly to him

It did the trick, because Leonard smiled, "My Snuggle Bunny!" he chuckled, "Ok snuggle bunny, let's go to bed." he told her.

They both quickly got ready and got into bed together, Penny bruising was a lot better now and the only thing that bothered her much was she still couldn't sleep on the bruised side. Penny was laying on her right side, her head on Leonard's chest, still a little worried about him because she could feel he was still tense and he still wasn't talking much. Penny wanted to get his mind off what was happening because she knew it was really bothering him, so Penny rubbed his tummy a little then slipped her hand down Leonard's boxers.

Leonard had been lost in thought, he didn't really like be analyzed by the news or compared to Einstein, he felt it wasn't right to compare him to the great one, it was blasphemy. When Penny slipped her hand into his boxers, he almost leaped off the bed, the shock had been so great. "Penny, no please." Leonard said softly to her.

"But, I just want to please you and I want you to be happy." Penny whimpered.

"Honey, I understand, but you don't understand, it is very confusing for me right now, I don't know how I feel. I am excited about my project and the great results, but the stuff on the news, I am not excited about it, I don't feel good about it. I just have to work it out in my head." he told her and then gave her a small smile.

"Leonard, I'm here for you." Penny said, still a little worried about him.

"I know. I really know you are, but I don't know what to say, I'm still trying to figure out things right now, but I promise if I need help, you will be the first one, I will come to. I just need some time right now." he said to her.

"It's just you have been so sad since we got home, and it makes me sad that you are sad. You have been just so perfect, making things so good for me, I just want to make things good for you." Penny told him, now pulling herself up to look into his eyes.

"I know you do and I love you for it, but just let me do this my way for now, Ok. I guess I forgot how we both in tuned to each others feelings, I'm sorry this is all confusing to me and I am uncomfortable with it. I just need to work it out. I promise I won't let it get me too down and if it does I will tell you. Deal?" he said smiling

"Deal" Penny answered. Penny couldn't believe how someone could be like him. "Ok, I guess I understand. Just remember I love you and we are a team." she said, then kissed him. Penny looked at his eyes and they were still a little bit sad, because he knew he was doing something she didn't completely understand, and she wanted him not to be sad because he was so wonderful to her. Penny started to kiss his face, his eyes, his nose, his ears, his cheeks and his lips until he wasn't sad anymore and was laughing at her kisses. Then she wrapped her arms around his head and gave him a kiss he would remember as he fell asleep that night, it was going to be long and deep. She was, however, surprised when she found his tongue as eager as hers and even more surprised when he took command of their kiss. She didn't know how long they kissed, just that she wouldn't soon forget it, and when they finally parted they looked at each other breathless.

They stared at each other for several moments, neither of them able to move their eyes away. Sheldon would have said they were having eye coitus, but it was much more, and it truly couldn't be explained, it was a need and desire for each other, it was love. Slowly their lips came back together, and they kissed again, not the passionate kiss they previously exchanged, this kiss was warm and sweet, it was a kiss of love and it would be their kiss, they would never share it with another person, for it was only between them.

The morning alarm woke them both up and this time it was Penny who hit the off switch before Leonard could. She then turned so she could see his cute sleepy face, "Morning Honey." she said, then kissed him.

"Morning snuggle bunny." Leonard responded, chuckling and giving her a kiss back.

Penny gave him a little smirk, she just knew he was going to call her that from now on, when they went to bed, and she loved it. She was really happy, everything seemed so wonderful now, she could hardly contain herself, she wanted to jump up and dance. Penny put her arms around his neck, "Leonard, why don't we just go to Las Vegas this weekend." she said to him.

Leonard was confused, by her sudden request, "Ok, but why the urge to go to Las Vegas?" he asked her.

Penny bit her lip, "I want to be Mrs Penny Hofstadter, now. Right now. I want our lives together, as husband and wife, to start as soon as possible." she said quietly to him.

Leonard stared at her for a couple minutes, "Penny, I do too, but we need to talk about this a little, before we do something we are sorry for later. I am only planning to get married once in my life, so we both need to be sure about how we are going to do this wedding. I think maybe over thinking is good when it comes to this." he said. "Also, I was thinking how cool it would be to see you walking down the isle in a wedding dress. Did I use 'Cool' right?"

Penny smiled, "Yes you used 'Cool' right. I guess I am just feeling so good lately, that I just want to make sure it never ends and I know I need you for that. But I can wait to talk to you tonight about it, that will give me time to prepare my argument." she said to him smugly.

"Wow, you are really serious. Ok, when I come home we'll discuss it." he said, then kissed her. "I need to get up for work now." Penny still had her arms wrapped around his neck.

Penny gave him a small pout, she then pulled herself closer to him, her nose touching his and then she started kissing him. It was cold in Pasadena, therefore the room was a little cool, and Leonard was in a warm bed his arms around a beautiful girl, the love of his life, and she was kissing him. Penny had now pulled herself very close to him, he could feel her chest going moving in and out as she breathe, the warmth of her body was being transferred to him through conduction. The feeling he was experienced was so amazing, he never wanted it to end, he became lost in her kisses, and he never wanted to get out of bed with her.

Penny was loosing control and she knew she was only thinking of herself, she was keeping him here in bed, he was going to be late, but she wanted him. Why couldn't she have him, he was hers, wasn't he, she wanted him to stay with her, she didn't want him to leave, it wasn't fair. Her mind was fighting itself, she knew he had to go to work, but she didn't want him to, she wanted him to stay with her, it was tearing her up. Penny stopped kissing him, then buried her face in his shoulder, squeezing as tight as she could and started to cry.

"Penny what's wrong?" Leonard asked concerned.

"I'm sorry.." sniff, "I can't help it.." sniff, "I'm sorry.." she said softly between her tears.

Penny was holding him as tight as she had ever done before, and Leonard figured it had something to do with him leaving to work today. That was a big problem for him because he had to do work on his project this morning and then he had a big meeting. However, leaving Penny right now was not something he could readily do right now. "Penny tell me what's wrong, let me help." Leonard asked softly.

"Honey, I am just being silly, ignore me, sometimes I act stupid." Penny answered

"Penny you are never stupid, I think you are amazing, I am constantly in awe of you." Leonard said to her.

Penny stopped crying and pulled back to look at him, "You think I'm amazing and are in awe of me?" she said, looking at him.

"Yes, I do." he said, "Why do you think I fell in love with you? You dazzle me, being with you is the most amazing thing that has ever happen to me. I always knew you were smart and special, you can do anything you want, honey. I am proud of you and excited to be your fiancé."

"Leonard, I…" Penny couldn't come up with anything else to say, so she kissed him.

"Does that mean we're better now." Leonard said, after Penny stopped kissing him.

"I'm better, yes." she said, "It is just, I get these feelings sometimes that I can't let you go, sometimes because I just want to hold you and be with you, sometimes I'm scared of loosing you, sometimes I think the bad stuff will get me without you," she told him, then more quietly, "and sometimes I just want you to make love to me until we both can't move due to exhaustion." she stopped talking for a moment, then, "I know I feel this way partly due to the hormones and pregnancy, but I also know, that I feel this way because I need you, I don't want to go on with my life without you. I tried that once, when you were with Priya and I didn't think I'd make it sometimes."

"Penny, I'm never going to leave you. Like I said, I only plan on getting married once in my life and that is to you. But honey, I do have to work some, otherwise mommy and baby won't be able to eat." he said to her.

"I know. But if you want to be hobo's, I'm okay with that." Penny teased him.

Leonard chuckled, "Okay, I'll keep that in mind for the future."

Penny reluctantly removed her arms from around his neck, then quietly said, "I'll let you go to work today, but you need to know I might deny you that right some time in the future, especially after we are married."

"Ok, I'll remember that too." he said chuckling

They both got up and as Leonard headed to the shower and Penny headed to the kitchen to make sure her man was fed before he left to work. When Leonard came out of the bathroom, dressed, he found Penny sitting at the kitchen table drinking juice, like he had everyday that week, it made him smile. Before he sat with her he bent over and kissed her head and touched her shoulder, her mere presence making him happy.

"So what are you doing today?" Penny asked him

"Well, Alex and I are going to do some calculations and more work on writing the paper, then we have a big meeting in the afternoon with the university top brass." Leonard said with a smile.

Penny bit her lip, "So everything is working out with Alex?" she asked shyly

Leonard looked at her, sometimes she was as easy to read as a book and this was one of those times, "Penny, ask any question you like, anything, I won't be upset, I want you to feel comfortable I'm working with Alex. I don't want you to wonder or worry over it. I love you, I only want to be with you, so ask any question you want." Leonard said to her, in a soft steady voice.

Penny took a deep breathe, "I'm sorry, it is hard for me to break old habits, I trust you completely." she said, feeling ashamed.

"Penny ask any question you want. I don't want you wondering what is going on at the university. I want you to know everything and anything, so please ask." Leonard repeated.

"Leonard has she said or done anything to make it seem that she loves you or wants you?" Penny croaked out, she was ashamed to ask, but he said she could and she wondered.

"No, but I promise if she does, I will tell you, and if there is something she does that I don't understand, I will ask your opinion. You are my partner, I won't keep secrets from you." he told her, with all seriousness.

Penny leaned over and kissed him, "Thank you, Honey." she told him, after the kiss. Penny was a little insecure now with Leonard, and now that she knew Alex was smart and beautiful, she worried that Alex could do something to take Leonard from her. Leonard was the man she wanted forever and she never wanted to take a chance on loosing him again, to any woman. Also, being pregnant made her very possessive of him.

Penny and Leonard were at the table, when Howard and Bernadette joined them, for coffee and the pancakes, Penny had made. They had a little time to chat this morning since Leonard was driving straight to the university and taking Howard with him, so Bernadette could drive straight to work. A half hour later, Penny was by herself, going into the bathroom to get ready for Amy's arrival and the busy day ahead.

"Good morning, Amy Farrah Fowler." Sheldon said, as he got into her car.

"Good morning, cuddles." Amy responded, getting a little half smile from Sheldon.

"I wish it was really a good morning Amy, but last night I didn't get my required sleep due to interruptions, till late, from people who had to talk to Leonard, they said." Sheldon said with disgust.

"Sorry Sheldon, but this is sort of a big deal for Leonard. Maybe you should come over to my place till it blows over." Amy offered.

"You right it is probably a big deal for Leonard, probably the peak of his career. I really can't see him ever doing anything better in the future, so I guess I can give him this small achievement." Sheldon said, then stopped to think. "Normally, I can only sleep in my own bed, but since I have not been able to do that last night, maybe staying at your place a couple of days, would be a good idea. Thank you, Amy." Sheldon told her.

This is really turning out to be a great day, Amy thought, Penny to hang around with all day and then Sheldon tonight. Who would have thought her life would be so interesting after she turned 30, she actually had a social life. "Ok, Sheldon, I will pick you up after work, and we can get your stuff to stay over." Amy told him, trying not to sound too excited.

Amy picked up Penny at 8 AM and they headed to the doctors office to get her stitches removed. Penny was as excited as Amy, because now that she was feeling better, getting out and running around with Amy, made her happy. Leonard had even given her his credit card, and insisted she go out and buy a few things, he knew she liked to shop and he wanted her to have fun. She at first refused, but he made the point that they would be married soon, so what was his was hers and what was hers was hers, so they might as well start now, which made them both laugh. Their little credit card discussion made her feel all domestic with him, which right now, as she thought of it, made her even happier.

Penny had to wait a little in the doctor's office, but after a while, she was back in the car with Amy, her stitches removed, which made her feel better. Just having the stitches removed made her feel more normal, however the cast, was going to be with her a few more weeks and it itched like hell sometimes. Penny and Amy were at the Mall, at 10 AM when the doors opened, getting themselves fruit drinks and looking at stores trying to decide which one to go in first. Penny was just about to suggest a shoe store, when she saw the baby store, which immediately made her want to go in it.

Bob Martin, Ed Johnson, and the lead writer were waiting outside the network viewing studio, with their copy of the pilot. They had to edit and cut the pilot in 4 days, to prove they could put an episode together for a weekly show. The network knew their schedule so made the appointment this Friday, to verify they could put the show together in the allotted time. In 15 minutes, the network team would start viewing their pilot and determining it and their fates.

Penny and Amy were now eating lunch at the food court, it was now 1 PM and they had only been in one store. Penny had a bag with some newborn blankets and clothes, she felt so good she was almost giddy. Amy also had fun with her shopping for baby stuff, Penny's enthusiasm rubbing off on her. Amy actually was day dreaming, while they were shopping, how it would feel, when it was her in there with Sheldon's baby.

The writer, Bob and Ed were now leaving the network offices, it had been sort of a good day. The network had liked the show, and made them a reasonable offer, which they took, however, they wanted the pilot shot again without Penny. The network team immediately recognized that Penny had been the girl with Todd Stewart, and she was pregnant and involved in that drug party, which made her taboo for being the main character in a children's show, so she had to go. The network thought she could easily replaced, however Ed really doubted it, but he had no choice, so as they left, he contacted Nancy to call back those girls that tested highest, below Penny, to find their new main actress.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Leonard and Alex had finished lunch and were now waiting outside the university board room for their 2 PM meeting. Leonard had brought a suit with him to work today, that Penny had picked for him, and was now wearing it, looking the part of an well groomed PHD. Alex was wearing a very smart pants suit, making both of them well dressed for this meeting. Leonard was very nervous, because he had never been asked to see the board before, and Alex was just plain nervous, this was all very new and scary to her. The chatted while they waited trying to calm each others nerves.

At 2 PM exactly, President Siebert came out to get them and then lead them into the board room, where they saw six board members, President Siebert and Dr Gablehauser. Leonard was introduced to each member and he, in turn, introduced Alex to each board member. The two female members on the board were especially happy that a female, Alex, was involved so heavily in this important project. After all the introductions, Leonard and Alex were then asked to sit down for a question and answer (Q & A) session, on the project, for almost 30 minutes, before Leonard began his presentation. This early Q & A session was to find out the how and why Leonard had come up with his theory and to verify Leonard's work was original and not some continuation of other's work. The session went well, and Leonard started his formal briefing, he was only through 10 of his 60 slides when 3 PM rolled around.

Penny and Amy had shopped till about 3 PM, then Amy took Penny to the studio parking lot to get her car. Penny was a little worried about it being towed away, but to her relief, it was still there, and it even started on the first try. Once she had it running, Amy bid her farewell and left to get Sheldon, leaving Penny to drive her car back to the apartment. It was a balmy day in Pasadena, beautiful convertible weather, so Penny lowered the top on her car and started to drive her car to Howard and Bernadette's apartment, where she planned to keep it the next couple of weeks. Penny was happy and content, the day had been nice and she had really enjoyed spending it with Amy. Amy had changed so much, once she became one of their group, and Penny really considered her a very close friend, almost family. Penny drove with a little smile on her face, all of them were family, they were all more than friends, she thought to herself, she had never had friends like them, people you could actually trust with your life. Then there was Leonard, she could never see her life without him anymore, he was everything to her now, and the thought of being his wife just sent a warm feeling through her. How did she get so lucky, she loved her life, she thought, as she continued to drive with the top down, listening to the radio, singing along, a big smile plastered on her face.

Officer Scott, watched as the red convertible drove by with the very pretty blonde in it and noticed that one of her taillights was out. Normally he wouldn't do anything, but it was a slow day and the blonde looked very pretty, so he thought he would perform a courtesy stop and advise her that her car taillight was out, and maybe, if she was single, get her phone number. He casually pulled in behind her and turned on his cruiser lights, to pull her over, and flirt with her.

Penny was surprised at the police car pulling her over, she was sure she had done nothing wrong. She pulled off the road into a store parking lot and stopped waiting for the officer to tell her what she had done wrong, because she was still confused to why she was being pulled over. She watched him get out of his car and walk over, noticing he was smiling the whole time.

"Hello miss, nice day today, to be in a convertible. Oh, you look like you had a little accident, nothing serious, I hope." Officer Scott said to her, trying to strike up a conversation.

"I was in an auto accident a week ago. It is getting a lot better now. Thank You." Penny said, "Officer, did I do something wrong?" she asked.

"No. This is just a routine stop, to let you know your taillight is out, that's all. Could you let me see your license and registration, then you can be on your way." Scott told her.

Penny was relieved and gave him her license and registration, then watched him go back to his car, smiling all the way. She was now pretty sure he was flirting with her, which she would put up with, as long as she didn't get a ticket. It was over 10 minutes before he came back and the smile was gone from his face, he also had his hand on his gun, which scared Penny.

"Miss will you step out of the car, please." Scott told Penny sternly.

"What's wrong?" Penny asked.

"Miss, please step out of the car." Scott now demanded.

Penny got out of the car, now scared, the officer was looking very angry at her. Once along side the car, her purse was taken away from her and she was handcuffed, which now terrified her, then was asked about weapons and pointed objects before she was searched. Penny was almost in tears as she was lead back to the car and put in the back seat behind the screen. The officer put her purse in the passenger seat.

"What did I do?" she asked the officer, the tears now falling down her face.

"There is an outstanding warrant for your arrest, so you are going to jail." Officer Scott told her, all friendliness gone from his voice.

Penny quietly sat in the back seat of the cruiser, while she heard the officer order a tow truck to pick up her car. Then she heard him tell his dispatch that he was taking Penny to the women's county jail, which made tears come to her eyes again. Penny had never been arrested before, and what made things worse was she had no idea why she being arrested.

The drive to the county jail was the most terrifying trip in a car that Penny had ever taken and the sight of the jail building sent a chill down her spine. She was taken out of the police cruiser at an entrance, that looked like a loading dock, and walked to a counter, where the officer turned over something he said was an arrest form, her purse and her over to the police women behind the counter.

The next 30 minutes were horrible, Penny was photographed and fingerprinted, which she had never done before, so she was yelled at several times for not following directions properly. She then had to turn everything over to the police woman, even her clothes, and she started to cry again when they took her engagement ring. Standing there stripped, except for her panties, she was then humiliated by having to remove her panties and go through a cavity search, before she was given an orange jumpsuit to wear. By 4:30 PM, Penny was allowed to make one local phone call, so she called Leonard, only to immediately get his voice mail.

Penny was almost in tears, again, "Leonard, I am in the county jail. I have been arrested. I don't know why. Please help me. Leonard I'm scared." Penny didn't know what else to say, so she hung up. 5 minutes later she was walked down a hallway to the cell blocks to be put behind bars.

Penny was delivered to two sheriff's correction officer women that were to be her real jailers and was immediately questioned about her wrist cast, they were not happy about it because they said it was a weapon. Penny thought they actually wanted to remove it from her wrist, which she couldn't believe, but eventually they decided to lock her up anyway. She was given a quick search again, especially around her cast, then lead back to the cell block.

Corrections Officer Joanne Canty, didn't like it this blonde bimbo, who had a cast on her arm, because anything that could be used as a weapon only caused her more problems, so this blonde was already causing problems. They had two main cell blocks, they used them to separate the minor criminals from the major, more violent, criminals for the most part. The cell block for the minor criminals was full to capacity and with this blonde having a cast on, Joanne decided to put her in the other cell block for the major criminals. Once Joanne had the blonde in the cell block and the door secured, she went back to the desk to finish her crossword puzzle, until she was to be relieved at 11 PM. She had just started her shift and already she was not in a good mood.

Penny walked into the corner of the cell block, she felt so alone, scared and lost. She could see the other women looking at her, but none of those looks were friendly and they only intensified the terror Penny was feeling. Penny never had felt so helpless in her life, and she didn't have any idea what to do, she even didn't know how long she was going to be there. Penny was trying so hard not to cry, but was loosing that battle and the tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Marge watched the cute blonde being brought into the cell block with intense curiosity. The blonde had tears running down her face, which made Marge smile, thinking 'fresh meat', Marge was going to have fun with her. Marge worked as a bouncer at a gay bar and was in jail for beating the sense out of a woman who seduced a woman Marge liked. Marge was 6 feet 3 inches and weighed 250 pounds and had never lost a fight, no one in the cell block dared upset her. As Marge looked at the blonde, she suddenly realized where she had seen her before, the news, she was that actress that was banging that actor Todd Stewart. Marge smiled even wider, she never fooled around with an actress before, as a matter of fact, she never fooled around with someone as pretty as this blonde, this was really going to be fun, she thought.

It was 5 PM when Leonard finished briefing, his cell phone had been off the whole time, so as not to interrupt the briefing. The board had had 4 PHDs on it and along with Siebert and Gablehauser, and had grilled him on his project and results, worse than when he defended his dissertation to his department board, when he was going for his PHD. Alex had answered questions on equipment set up and calibration, plus her work on the analysis, and Leonard could see she was stressed out by the time they were done with her. However, the board, Siebert and Gablehauser, seemed happy after the briefing, and spent the next hour discussing schedules, publicity and other miscellaneous subjects with Leonard and Alex. By 6 PM the meeting was over, Leonard and Alex were wore out, but the board members, Siebert and Gablehauser all told them they had done an excellent job and that they were going to do great things for Cal Tech. Siebert even told Leonard in private, that Gablehauser was probably going to be moving in a year and that Leonard was first on his list as Gablehauser's replacement due to all the fine work Leonard had done for the university.

Marge walked up to Penny, with a sly smile on her face, checking Penny out. As Marge got closer, Penny moved away from her, until Marge had her trapped in the corner of the cell block. Penny tried to get by Marge and push past her, which made Marge a little mad, so Marge grabbed Penny and pushed her back into the corner, like she was a rag doll. Marge realized that this blonde was going to be a problem, so she slapped her to straighten her out, but Marge never expected to be hit besides the head with Penny's right arm, cast and all.

Marge was stunned, but she had been in a lot of fights before, so she quickly recovered, delivering a blow to Penny's head that slammed it against the wall, causing a cut and a small concussion. Penny was dazed and fell to the floor, not really knowing what was happening now, her head hurt badly and she was barely keeping conscious. Marge looked at Penny on the floor and saw her arm with the cast laying stretched out, the cast pissed Marge off, so she raised her foot and stomped down on it, smashing it and causing a compound fracture of Penny's lower arm. The new pain Penny was now feeling in her arm was overloading her brain and the only thing she could think of was to protect her baby, so she curled up in the fetal position and tried to roll over, so her back was to her attacker. Marge figured the fight was out of the blonde now, but when she saw Penny try to roll, she decided she wasn't hurt enough, so she kicked Penny in the ribs, cracking one of those too.

Marge smiled and walked over to the other women, who had watched the whole confrontation. The other women congratulated Marge and gave her high fives, mostly because they were scared of Marge and didn't want to make her mad. Marge sat down and rubbed the side of her face, wondering if she should beat up the blonde some more for hitting her.

Penny was in agony, she could hardly breathe due to her cracked rib, her head was pounding and her arm was in excruciating pain when she tried to move it. The pain was so intense she was about to black out, but she kept willing herself to stay awake to protect her baby. She couldn't even scream, her breathing was so shallow, because of the pain in her ribs.

Marge finally decided not to beat the blonde anymore, because she didn't seem able to get off the floor and was no threat. However Marge was still pissed at the blonde for hitting her, so she decided to have some fun with her. Marge walked over and grabbed Penny so she rolled over facing the cell block, getting a satisfactory gasp of pain from the blonde. She then grabbed the top of Penny's coveralls and ripped them exposing her chest. However the blonde had really not provided the terrified, begging reaction Marge was wanting, she was just laying there and Marge wanted her to understand who was boss and she needed to pay for her mistake. The blonde was not suffering enough, Marge thought, well she needed to do something about that. Marge saw that one of her breasts was bruised, so she grabbed it and twisted, laughing and looking at the other women in the cell block.

Penny had been in extreme pain when Marge had rolled her over, the cracked rib now against the floor, along with her broken arm flipping over and hitting the floor, so the added pain of Marge twisting her breast was too much for her mind to handle. The new source of extreme pain overrode the rib pain, and her body somehow sucked in enough air that Penny screamed before she blacked out. The scream was so loud it scared Marge for a second and she knew the guards would come running, so she immediately joined the other women, on the other side of the cell block, and tried to look innocent. Corrections Officer Sally Kramer, Joanne's partner, ran into the cell block area and gasped when she saw the broken blonde in the corner of the cell block, she immediately hit the lockdown alarm.

Leonard and Alex stopped at a coffee shop, to relax before they went home, trying to unwind from the afternoon they had just had. The meeting had been a huge success, but they were both drained and wore out, sitting there looking at their coffee's, hardly able to speak. They were both feeling good but still a little tense, but they started to talk after a little while.

"My God, is my dissertation going to be that bad." Alex asked Leonard, a little terror in her eyes.

Leonard gave a small chuckle, "Actually, while in there, I was thinking how much worse it was than my dissertation. I think after this, Alex, you will be able to breeze through your dissertation." Leonard said to reassure her.

Alex, looked at Leonard and smiled, "That's good to hear." she said, then looked down at her coffee, so Leonard could not get a good look at her face. She loved sitting here with him talking, she had never felt so comfortable with another man in her life. She always thought Leonard was cute, but dressed up in a nice suit, like he was now, made him look so handsome, she found herself strongly attracted to him again. She went over in her mind again, if she could still stand to work with him from now on, and again the answer came back quickly, she would rather share moments with him like this, then not at all.

Finally after about a half hour, Leonard felt calm enough to go back to the apartment to see Penny, he just wanted to be with her, hold her and relax. "Alex, I need to get going, it is getting late. Are doing okay enough to go home?" Leonard asked her, concerned.

Alex could actually feel the concern in his voice, which gave her a warm feeling inside, "No, I'm fine. I need to get home quickly too, Bev and I are going to a movie tonight." Alex lied to him, she was going home to relax and probably think about him most of the night.

Leonard made sure Alex got safely to her car and waited till she drove off, he then drove to the apartment to see the love of his life. He was actually very excited about seeing Penny, he couldn't wait to sit with her and them discuss each others day. The thought of her curled up in his arms, just made him feel good to his core and made him smile. The only thing that worried him, was if she still wanted to get married in Las Vegas this weekend, he felt he wouldn't be able to argue against it, the way he felt right now. He chuckled, the thought that Penny could be his wife, this weekend, was something he had never imagined would actually come true in his life time, no matter how he wished. Leonard now was really in a hurry to get home to Penny's arms.


	62. Chapter 62

**I WISH TO APOLOGIZE ABOUT THE LAST CHAPTER. I WAS GOING TO PUT A VIOLENCE WARNING AT THE FRONT, BUT I POSTED THE WRONG VERSION, WITHOUT THE WARNING. I AM TRULY SORRY IF I OFFENDED ANYONE. I AM NOT TRYING TO ABUSE PENNY IN THIS STORY AND I AM SORRY IF IT SOUNDS LIKE I AM. I ALSO WISH TO APOLOGIZE TO THE PERSON WHO SAID THEY COULD NOT READ MY STORY ANYMORE, AFTER THE LAST CHAPTER, I DIDN'T MEAN TO OFFEND. **

Chapter 62

Penny was still out when they moved her to the gurney for the ambulance, which was probably a good thing, because the pain probably would have been unbearable to her. The paramedic got her awake with smelling salts on the way to the hospital, but Penny really didn't know what was happening to her. The paramedic was talking to her, but she could hardly breathe, so she couldn't talk and really she was too dazed to understand him anyway. The paramedic didn't even know she was pregnant, but because of her shallow breathing, he hooked her up to almost pure oxygen, which was probably the best thing he could have done for her and her baby.

Dr Frank Oswell, was the senior doctor in the county hospital emergency room, and he was pulling another Friday night in the emergency room, because the regular doctor was on his honeymoon with his new wife. Dr Oswell normally only worked 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday thru Friday, but they were so undermanned that he was filling in this swing shift for three weeks and he still had one more to go. Dr Oswell was having a quick coffee in the hospital cafeteria when his old friend Dr Harold Rogers walked up and sat down across from him.

"Hey Frank, you look tired. What are you doing here on a Friday night?" Rogers asked him.

"Hi Harry, I've been filling in the last couple weeks for one of the doctors who went off and got married." Oswell told his friend.

"I thought you were the emergency room boss, couldn't one of the younger doctors do that and anyway who gave the guy permission to get married, anyway." Rogers joked with his friend.

"First, I'm younger than you, smart ass, and he asked for permission 6 months ago so I had no choice." Oswell joked, then seriously, "We are so undermanned right now, either I had to do it or a doctor from another shift was going to have to do it and I would still have to fill in, so I just took the shifts." Oswell told him. "By the way, what is an old fart like you doing here on a Friday night, don't you have a bridge game or something to do?" he teased his friend.

"Ok, very funny, you seem to forget my wife is only 36 and an ex Miss Pasadena, so bridge is the last thing we do on Friday nights." Rogers responded, smiling.

"Right. I must have forgot." Oswell said smiling, "But what are you really doing here on a Friday night?"

"I have a girl in labor upstairs and she is taking forever to dilate, so it is going to be a long night. I bet she doesn't deliver till after midnight." Rogers said.

Oswell snickered, "At least I get off at 11 PM." he teased Rogers.

"Yeah, I hear that from my wife all the time. Why don't I get a General Practice, so you can work from 8 to 5, and stop this baby delivery doctor stuff." Rogers told him, but then he got quiet for a moment. "You know but, I really like delivering babies, I like bringing life into the world, much more than watching it leave." Rogers told his friend seriously.

Dr Oswell just nodded, "I know what you mean."

"Well I got to go and check up on my future young mother. If you get bored, stop up, I can always use a hand." Rogers teased him again.

"Fat chance. You take care and I'll see you later, I've got to get back too." Oswell said bidding his friend farewell.

Dr Oswell walked back into the emergency room, just in time to see the paramedics roll another emergency patient into one of the exam rooms. He sighed for a second, then dropped his half drank coffee into the trash can and followed the emergency team into the exam room. Dr Oswell had been the doctor on duty when Penny came in the week before from the auto accident, and was the doctor that told her she was pregnant, so he was shocked as soon as he recognized her. She was in much worse shape then when he had seen her a week before, when she had the accident. He could tell she was in a lot of pain, she had a head injury, a very broken arm and she was having trouble breathing, which was probably due to the huge bruise that was forming around her ribs on her right side.

Dr Oswell didn't know what had come over him, maybe it was the talk he just had with his friend, but he somehow felt responsible for this young pregnant girl now. He immediately took his job extremely seriously, giving his team quick concise orders and began to perform a very detailed examination of this blondes injuries.

"Ok, she may have a concussion. She definitely has a compound fracture and her ribs are either badly bruised or fractured. I want full x-rays of those areas. Also, very important, this girl is pregnant, so take every precaution in x-ray." Oswell ordered.

One of the senior nurses, that new Oswell very well, looked at him confused. "Doctor how do you know she is pregnant?" she asked, the girl didn't look pregnant.

"Judy, she was in her last week from a car accident. I verified the test myself, she is pregnant. She really has been through too much already, her and her baby." Oswell said, with a serious look of compassion on his face.

Penny was given some weak pain medication, the type used when someone has a concussion, and then rushed off to x-ray. Dr Oswell was actually a little nervous, he was worried about her and her baby, he needed to do everything exactly right. While he was waiting for her to come back and the x-rays, the county deputy walked up to him. The deputy had been with Penny all the time and had just left her when she went into x-ray.

"Doctor, when will you be done, so we can get her back to lock up." the officer said dispassionately

Oswell looked at the deputy in disbelief, "She is not going anywhere tonight, I guarantee that. What the hell happened to her!" Oswell demanded, staring at the deputy.

Joanne was pissed, no one talked to her like that, "Calm down doctor, just a little jail problem between some prisoners. When can we take her back." Joanne asked more determined for an answer.

"Well officer, I am filling in a probable assault exam information form, for the city police, and I'll let you know when she can go back after I see how beat up she is." Oswell said, turning to walk away, they suddenly turning back. "And I want those damm handcuffs off her! As soon as she is rolled back in. You are preventing me from properly treating her with them on." Oswell then walked away.

'Damm that son-of-a-bitch', Joanne thought, the form he was writing up would lead to an investigation of what happened. She had to be real careful now, everything she did now would be part of the investigation, so she had to remove the handcuffs, because she would be asked why she didn't do what the doctor ordered. 'This is a bunch of crap', she thought and went to use the phone to call the shift supervisor.

Dr Oswell pulled up the records on Penny, on the computer, and was surprised again, for the day, to see that Harry was her doctor. Frank got the phone and called the third floor, where the hospital did all baby deliveries. "This is Dr Oswell, I need to talk to Dr Rogers, it's important, so if he isn't actually in the middle of a delivery, he needs to talk to me." he told the nurse who picked up the phone.

A couple minutes later, "Frank, what is going on?" Dr Rogers answered.

"Harry, I've got one of your patients down her and she is pretty beaten up." Oswell told him, then spent the next 5 minutes giving a quick overview of Penny's situation.

"I'll be right down." Rogers said and hung up.

Penny was rolled down the hall towards the exam room again, she could barely determine where she was, all she could do was whimper, the pain she was feeling was still there and it still hurt to breathe, Just before she was rolled in the room, she felt the gurney stop and then something that was restraining her good arm removed, before she entered. Now there were a group of people standing over her, and she was able to barely see him, Dr Rogers, she willed herself to keep him in her sight. "My baby?" she barely spoke, looking directly at him.

Rogers bent down to her, "Penelope, we will take care of you. Your baby seems Okay. We'll do everything to help you, just relax, Okay?" Rogers said softly to her.

Penny mustered all her strength and moved her left hand to Rogers, still staring at him, who took it in his, and swallowed hard. Oswell felt a lump in his throat too and he saw tears coming from one of the nurses eyes.

"Penny don't worry, we'll help you and the baby." Rogers told her, holding her hand.

Oswell put the x-ray film on the light tables and looked, while shaking his head. She had a concussion, but at least her skull wasn't cracked, and there was no serious bleeding. She also had a cracked rib, but the rib was still together, and her arm was badly broken, which would require surgery. She was going to be in pain for a while, the concussion and rib were going to take time to heal, there wasn't too much they could do to make her feel better on those. The arm they could fix, however, the new bruising was going to take a week to get better, except for her left breast that was badly bruised and swollen, that would take a few weeks to get better. She had been beaten up, obviously, those idiots at the jail let a pregnant woman get beaten up under their custody. Dr Oswell felt mad.

Leonard was besides himself at Howard and Bernadette's, no one knew where Penny was. Leonard had actually yelled at Amy, over the phone, asking her how could she ever had left Penny alone. Sheldon had to take the phone away from the a crying Amy, to try and calm Leonard down, Sheldon was actually worried about Penny too. Leonard was now pacing around the apartment, his mind unable to control the worst case thoughts going through it. He pulled out his phone, but he didn't even know why, he had checked all the missed calls and none of them were from numbers he recognized, he wanted just to throw the stupid thing, it was absolutely no good to him. His voice mail box was full again, since he dumped it last night, with calls from news organizations, then he thought, he needed to listen to them, what if she didn't call from her phone! Leonard opened his voice mails and started listening and deleting, there was nothing on there from Penny.

Howard and Bernadette watched Leonard while he listened to his voice mails, each one making him madder and madder. They had never seen Leonard so bad, he was worried sick, everything making him mad, and he was getting worse every hour. If was almost a shock to them, when suddenly Leonard sat down on the couch, wide eyed, and mumbled 'Oh my God'. Leonard then put the phone down and sat there and stared.

"Buddy, what's wrong?" Howard immediately asked him, in concern.

Leonard shook his head to break the trance, then stood up. "Penny is in jail. We need to go there." Leonard said, then grabbed his coat and started for the door.

Bernadette yelled at him, stopping him, "We are going with you!" she said, her and Howard grabbing their jackets to follow him. She was really concerned about him and what was going through his head right now.

Bernadette made Howard drive and Leonard ride, she didn't trust Leonard's reactions right now. The whole trip Leonard was moving around in his seat and mumbling to himself that he was stupid for not checking his voice mail earlier. Bernadette was really worried about him, he was so worked up, she didn't know if he could handle anymore bad news.

Arriving at the county jail was a huge disappointment, the main office was closed and there was a sign stating the hours of operations and for emergencies, go to the county sheriffs office. The drive to the sheriffs office took another 15 minutes and Leonard practically ran in the door when they got there. Howard and Bernadette quickly followed him in after the car was parked. When they got in, they saw Leonard practically begging the officer at the desk about Penny.

"Please, I have to see her, its really important." Leonard told the officer in desperation.

"Sir, you are not listening, you cannot see her until visiting hours tomorrow." the officer told him, while typing in Penny's name to see her status.

"I can't wait till tomorrow, she needs me now." Leonard was almost crying.

The officer read the screen, then looked at Leonard, "I'm sorry sir, but if you are not family or listed as next-of-kin, I can't even tell you her status." the officer said, then stopped. "What did you say your name was?"

"Leonard Hofstadter." Leonard told him and handed him his drivers license.

"Well what do you know, you are listed as her next-of-kin." the officer said, then looked at Leonard with a little compassion in his eyes, "She had some kind of problem in the jail, and now she is in county hospital, so you are not going to be able to see her until she comes back to the jail, I'm afraid." he told Leonard, then watched Leonard go out the door.

Howard and Bernadette had heard the officer's and Leonard's exchange and were quickly following him to the car. Once inside, Howard looked at Leonard, "County Hospital" was all he said and Leonard nodded.

The couple hours that went by since Penny arrived at the hospital, the time having gone by in a blur for her, there was pain, every time they moved her and it always hurt to breathe. The only thing that gave her comfort was that Dr Rogers was around all the time, telling her everything was going to be okay, and she believed him. They had given her some pain medication, but only a little, because she was now going into surgery for her arm. Penny actually welcomed the sleep when they put her out for the surgery.

They were just pulling into the parking lot of the hospital when Leonard's phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, but was afraid not to answer it, on the slight chance it was Penny. "Hello?" Leonard said.

"Dr Hofstadter?" Dr Rogers asked.

"Yes, who is this." Leonard asked, now getting mad, thinking it was another news person.

"Dr Hofstadter, this is Dr Rogers, I am at county hospital with your fiancée Penelope." Rogers told Leonard.

Leonard couldn't believe it, "How is she? Is she Okay? Oh may God, what happen to her? Can I see her? Please tell me she is okay?" Leonard pleaded.

"Please calm down Dr Hofstadter, I will answer all your questions. First she is doing good, considering her injuries, which are not life threatening. I am worried a little about the baby, but right now there is no problem with the baby either. She is currently in surgery to repair a broken arm, again not life threatening. She had a concussion, fractured rib, broken arm and numerous bruises. How she got them is not for certain." Rogers told Leonard.

"Dr Rogers, I am at the hospital, can I see her?" Leonard asked, tears running down his cheeks.

"I'll meet you in the hospital lobby in ten minutes." Rogers told him.

Ten minutes slowly ticked by while Leonard paced around the hospital lobby, while Howard and Bernadette watched him. Leonard was relived that Penny was not there for anything life threatening, but her injuries still sounded horrible and he want to see her so badly. Also, he was still worried sick why she was arrested and locked up. He almost ran to Dr Rogers, when he saw the man approaching.

"How is she?" Leonard asked in desperation.

"Everything looks like she is going to be fine. Like I said there was nothing life threatening." Rogers told him.

"Can I see her, I need to see her." Leonard begged.

"She is in surgery right now and she will probably be in there for another hour, they have to put a small rod in the broken bone. After that she will be in recovery for another hour. When we are finally done with her, they will put her in a special secure area of the hospital, that the county uses for prisoners, and they don't allow visitors except in special cases, like the prisoner is dying." Rogers told Leonard.

Leonard felt helpless, and defeated, for once in his life he truly felt like a nerd, less than a man. He couldn't help the woman he loved, what good was he, "Could you let me know when she is out of surgery, I'll be waiting right her." Leonard asked Rogers, sadness evident in his face.

Rogers didn't even consider telling this man to go home, he could tell it would do no good, "Yes, I'll come back and let you know." Rogers said, then departed.

Leonard went to a seat and fell into it, then cried, he was a failure, he couldn't ever protect her. He didn't even feel Howard and Bernadette put their arms around him, he was so deep in his misery. He kept thinking, 'do something you stupid ass, do something, you are suppose to be smart, do something' over and over in his mind. Finally Leonard's brilliant mind, thought of something to do, and he pulled out his cell phone. Leonard checked his contact list, found the number he wanted and hit call, then waited for an answer, it was three hours later on the east coast.

Michael wasn't going to answer the phone, he was have some wine with his wife, but when he saw who it was he decided to answer it. "Hey big brother, why are you calling so late?" Michael asked Leonard.

"Michael, you are still licensed to practice in California, right?" Leonard asked quickly

"Yes, by-the-way, I heard about your research, congratulations." Michael told him.

"That's not important. I have a problem." Leonard told his brother.

"You're not in legal trouble, are you?" Michael asked, now a little concerned

"Michael, no not me, the girl I love and am going to marry is. Please Michael I need your help." Leonard begged.

"Ok, Leonard tell me what is going on?" Michael asked, and then listened while Leonard told him everything he knew in 15 minutes.

Michael Hofstadter and his brother Leonard talked for another 30 minutes, before Michael told him good-bye and hung up the phone. Michael sat their quietly on the chair thinking, while his wife just watched him. Michael always looked up to his brother Leonard, though he never told him because that wasn't what you did in their home. Michael thought that Leonard was probably the best older brother in the world, he had never been mean to Michael and had always been there for him when they were young. Leonard and his sister provided him the love he needed to grow up normal, the love his mother never gave them. Michael always knew Leonard cared about him, and supported him, so there was really no question what Michael had to do.

"Honey, I have to go to California tomorrow, my brother needs me." Michael told his wife, Dawn.

Dawn could see the stress in Michael, the man she loved, "Ok honey, I can be packed and ready whenever you want." she said to him.

Michael smiled, "Thanks Honey." he told her, then gave her a kiss.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Penny slowly awoke in the recovery room, feeling like her head was in cobwebs. Her arm didn't hurt because she was still feeling the effects of the drugs from the surgery, but her head felt weird and it still hurt a little to breathe. As she slowly gained more and more realization of what was happening, the terror of what had occurred returned to her. Her still semi drugged mind kept telling her to escape, she needed to escape to protect her baby and she tried to sit up. The movement caused her ribs to send shooting pain to her brain and she let out a pitiful scream, which brought Dr Rogers to her side.

"Penelope, don't move, you are in recovery, the surgery went fine, you need to rest." Rogers told her.

With her mind trying to cope with the pain that was with her the last six hours, she said the only thing that could supersede the pain in her mind. "My baby?" she asked, looking with pleading eyes at Dr Rogers.

"Penelope everything is fine, you still have the baby, I just listened to its heart, while you were asleep, and it sounds strong, so everything is good." Rogers told her, trying to reassure her. "Penelope we can't give you all the pain medication to make you feel better because of the risk to the baby, do you understand." Rogers to her.

Penny nodded, then said as best she could, "Protect my baby." she barely got out, and Rogers nodded back to her.

Knowing the baby was fine, did provide a little relief to Penny, but then the other person important in her life, took over her thoughts, she looked at Rogers again, said quietly, "Leonard, I want Leonard." Penny begged.

Dr Rogers looked at her, she was so banged up, in pain and stressed, he was a doctor, he was suppose to help. He had seen how her and Dr Hofstadter were with each other, they both comforted each other, she needed that right now, she was really hurting. But there was nothing he could do, he felt helpless.

Leonard was sitting staring at the floor, when Howard nudged him to let him know Dr Rogers was coming back. Leonard again hurried over to him. "How is she?" he asked.

"She is doing fine, everything went fine." Rogers told him, "They will be moving her to a room in a little while. The surgery went good, and the baby is fine."

Leonard looked at him, "Is there any way…" he started to say

Rogers just shook his head, "No, I'm sorry, they will never let you in." he told Leonard.

Shortly after Dr Rogers left, Amy walked into the hospital with a nervous Sheldon. She had seen the three of her friends in the lobby and walked directly over to Leonard, Sheldon following her the whole time. "I'm sorry Leonard, I had no idea." Amy said about to cry.

Leonard felt really bad seeing her, "I so sorry I yelled at you Amy. It is not your fault. I was just upset, please forgive me." Leonard told her, tears in his eyes.

Amy started to cry too and went to Leonard to hug him, which he returned holding her tight and crying with her. They held each other for a few minutes till they were able to compose themselves again. Bernadette gave them both a couple of tissues to wipe their eyes.

"How is she Leonard?" Amy asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"The doctor said she will be okay, there is nothing life threatening and the baby is okay too." Leonard told her.

Amy was so relieved, she had dreaded the worse the whole trip to the hospital. "Thank God." she said in relief. Leonard, Howard and Bernadette then caught Amy up on all the information they knew about Penny, while Sheldon stood a couple feet away, trying not to touch anything.

Dr Oswell had been talking to the jail shift supervisor on the phone for over 20 minutes, constantly repeating that Penelope was not going to be released for several days, at a minimum, because of her concussion, her damage arm and that there was concern for the baby. However, the supervisor, a lieutenant, wanted her back immediately, because he said he had no guards to spare to guard her at the hospital and she was not dying, so she needed to be back in jail. Frank was tired of arguing so he finally told the man, she was staying and if he or his officers tried to take her, he, Dr Frank Oswell, would hold a press conference with every news agency that would listen, telling them that the county sheriffs office was endangering the life of a mother and her unborn child. The lieutenant finally swore at Frank and told him this wasn't over, then hung up.

Penny was put in a room in a special section of county hospital for prisoners. There was a sliding bars system that came down from the ceiling and closed off four rooms so that prisoners could be treated but still kept locked up. The four rooms also had locks that could be remotely operated from a little closed off room, outside the gate, that an officer manned. The gate had an electronic door, again operated by the officer, so he/she could control access of all people going in and out of the area, as long as the officer allowed them. Penny was now the only occupant and was finally laying in her hospital bed for the night. However now as the surgery drugs had wore off, reality was coming back, along with the suppressed pain, and she was scared again. Dr Rogers said she was going to be in the hospital a few days, so that was actually good, because going back to the jail terrified her. Her head still felt full of cobwebs, it hurt to breathe, her breast and face hurt, and her arm hurt, she hurt from so many places, and she knew the drugs they gave her were not strong enough to help her with all the pain, because she would not take enough to hurt her baby. She lay there awake, trying to breathe and just trying to survive it all.

Dr. Rogers, was now her primary doctor, Dr Oswell had immediately transferred Penny's care to him, once she was out of surgery. He had just checked in with the officer, and with a nurse went in to see Penny, to make sure she was okay. The officer watched every move they made through monitors from cameras set all around this special part of the hospital.

When Rogers walked in the room, he could see by her eyes she was still suffering, he had seen the same look from many a patient, in pain. "Penelope, how are you feeling." he asked her, with his face close to her so she didn't have to force herself to talk loud.

"It hurts." was all Penny said.

Rogers was worried, she couldn't sleep like this and she was getting more and more stressed, "Penelope, I need to give you more pain medication." he told her.

Penny's eyes went wide, "The baby." she whispered

Rogers realized he was scaring her, "Okay, no more medication." he assured her. He didn't know what to do, she needed to rest, staying awake and suffering was no good for her or the baby. She could miscarriage just from the extreme stress she was under.

Rogers stood there for a little while thinking, then looked at the nurse, "Get me two syringes with local anesthetic" he told her.

When the nurse returned, Dr Rogers, injected enough anesthetic in Penny's arm to almost numb it, then injected, a little, around her rib to semi numb it. As soon as the anesthetic started to take effect, he noticed her start to relax. "Are you feeling better." he asked her.

"Yes, now I am very tired." Penny whispered.

"Good, you need to sleep. Try to sleep, okay." Rogers told her, and Penny closed her eyes.

Rogers stayed around for a few minutes, until she was asleep, then adjusted her oxygen to a safe level, due to her shallow breathing. He did one more check on the monitors, to make sure everything looked good and then left, with the nurse. "I'm going upstairs, I still have a baby to deliver, but I will come back down after I am done. If she has any problems call me immediately. She may sleep or she may wake up after the local wears off, it all depends how tired she is." he told the nurse, who nodded.

Rogers was walking to the elevator, when he remembered Dr Hofstadter, so he got on the phone and verified there was no hurry for the young mother upstairs, and went to the elevator for the lobby. He wasn't surprised to see Dr Hofstadter still sitting there, with people who were obviously his friends. They didn't notice him till he was standing right in from of him.

Leonard was caught by surprise and jumped up, "Is she okay!" he asked, scared that there was bad news.

Rogers smiled, "No, everything is fine, she is in a room, and she just went to sleep, everything is actually going very well." he told Leonard, watching him relax slightly.

"You need to go home and get some rest, there is nothing you can do here, and where she is at, you can't see her." Rogers told Leonard, seeing the pain in his eyes. Rogers then handed Leonard an envelope with two pills in it.

"What is this?" Leonard asked.

Rogers looked at all of them, "These are sleeping pills. You need to take them, when you get home, and get some rest. I will check on her tomorrow and I promise to call you and give you an update." he said to Leonard.

"I can't leave. She needs me." Leonard quietly said.

"Dr Hofstadter, I will take care of her. Tonight she needs sleep. She is going to be okay, I promise." Rogers told Leonard, trying assure him.

Bernadette thought Leonard was about to fall to pieces, so she grabbed his arm, "Thank you, Dr Rogers, we'll take him home make sure he gets some sleep." she told Rogers, and got a nod from him. Bernadette then pulled Leonard to the door, with the help of Howard. They made arrangements with Amy, for tomorrow, and said goodbye to Amy and Sheldon, who was already in Amy's car wanting to go.

Dr Rogers then made his way back to the delivery area, to check on his expectant mother, only to find she was still not dilated enough. He sat down in the nurses station area to rest for a minute, when he noticed his friend Frank walk up with two coffees. "For me?" he asked his friend, with a smile.

"Yeah, I figure you need it." Oswell told his friend while handing him the cup. "I checked on our patient and she is asleep, which is good. How are you doing?" he asked.

"A little tired but sort of emotionally drained. I still probably have a couple hours here tonight. Can I ask you a favor?" Harry asked his friend

Oswell smiled, "I'll check on her tomorrow morning." he told Harry

"Thanks." Rogers said, nodding. Frank and Harry talked for another 20 minutes, till the nurse came by to tell Dr Rogers, the young mother had dilated enough and was starting hard labor. Harry thanked his friend and wished him goodnight, then went into delivery room to deliver another beautiful baby.

Leonard sat in the car, staring at his hands and not saying a word the whole trip back to Howard and Bernadette's apartment. Once there, Bernadette made Leonard get ready for bed, then supervised him in taking the two sleeping pills, he fell asleep quickly after the pills took effect. Bernadette and Howard then talked for a few minutes, then went to bed too.

Next morning, Dr Oswell, walked into Penny's room to find her awake, just laying there her eyes the only thing moving. She actually looked worse than yesterday, though he knew she was better than yesterday. Her left side of her face was purple from being bruised along he jaw and her left eye was black and blue again. Her right arm was a little swollen, but nothing really to worry about. She was breathing shallowly still but she seemed to be in better control of her breathing, than yesterday, plus being on enriched oxygen, helped her get enough oxygen from her shallow breathes. She really was much better, she just didn't look like it and Dr Oswell thought that was good, her looking bad would keep her in the hospital longer, where she was safe.

"Good morning Penelope, did you get some rest?" he asked her, putting his face close to her so she didn't have to speak loudly.

"Yes, some." she whispered

"How is your head?" he asked her.

"I have a headache." she whispered

"Ok, we'll get you something for that." he told her. "How is you arm, does it hurt a lot?" he asked.

"Not as bad as my ribs." she whispered.

"I'm sorry, but unless you want us to give you stronger pain killers, you are going to be in some pain." he told her, seeing her shake her head and mouthing 'NO'.

"Do you feel like eating something?" he asked her, again seeing her shake her head and again mouthing 'NO'.

"How about something to drink?" he asked, finally getting a 'Yes" from her.

"Okay, we are going to keep the IV and the catheter in you today, but we will get you some drinks. Do you want anything else?" he asked her.

Penny looked him in the eye, "Leonard" was all she said.

Rogers had told Oswell about Dr Leonard Hofstadter, how close the two of them were, so Frank had a good idea about why she wanted him, but there was nothing he could do. The only two doctors on the access list to see her where him and Rogers, plus a couple of nurses, no visitors were allowed. "I'm sorry, he can't see you. Is there anything else?" he asked her, and she whispered 'NO' and just stared at the ceiling.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Leonard's eyes started to flutter open, he was slightly confused and still a little tired, he naturally reached for Penny, then his mind was jolted to reality, PENNY! Leonard shot up and looked at the clock, it was 12 noon, 'What the hell!' he thought and quickly got out of bed. He went out of the bedroom, very quickly and found Howard and Bernadette dressed and sitting at the kitchen table talking.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up!" Leonard exclaimed, clearly upset.

"Calm down buddy." Howard told him

"Leonard, why would we wake you up. You needed sleep." Bernadette told him

"I need to go to the Hospital!" Leonard said to them, he was a little frantic in his tone.

"Why Leonard! What are you going to do there? They won't let you see Penny, so what are you going to do there?" Bernadette practically yelled at him.

Leonard stood there breathing heavy, he knew she was right, he was helpless, he was such a loser, he couldn't protect the woman he loved. Leonard sat on the couch, putting his face in his hands, he couldn't keep the tears from coming. Why couldn't he do anything, Penny needed him and he couldn't do anything, he was a failure as her boyfriend. He didn't feel Bernadette put her arm around him.

"Leonard, you said your brother is arriving at 2 PM. You need to get him from the airport and let him do what he does best, be a lawyer. Getting him moving to help her, as fast as you can, is what you can do for Penny. That is how you rescue her now." Bernadette whispered to him, she felt Leonard nod.

Leonard got up, after a few minutes, and went to get ready, he never said another word. Howard and Bernadette watched him walk away with concern, he was really in a bad way. They were hurting too, Penny was a dear friend to them and her being hurt, in the hospital, locked up, was killing them too. However they had to take care of Leonard too, he was in as much pain as Penny probably was, mentally.

It was 1 PM when Leonard came out of the bedroom dressed and ready. Howard and Bernadette were ready too, and planned on going with him to the Airport. They had all got their jackets when Leonard's phone rang.

"Hello", Leonard said cautiously

"Dr Hofstadter, this is Dr Rogers, how are you? Did you rest?" Dr Rogers asked.

"I'm fine. How is Penny? Is she okay? Is she in pain? Is the baby okay?" Leonard asked quickly

"Everything is fine Dr Hofstadter. My associate, Dr Oswell, checked on her this morning and I just came from her. She is in less pain than yesterday, but she is very stiff as you can image. She seems to resting better and she is drinking some fluids and we got a milkshake down her, so that is very good. The baby appears fine, there has been nothing changed there. Everything is going on normal with her and she is progressing fine." Rogers told him

"Is there anyway I can see her?" Leonard asked, praying Dr Rogers would say yes.

"No, I'm sorry, she is still being held in custody, with no visitors. I'm really sorry." Rogers told him. "I will check on her again tonight, I'll call you back then."

Leonard didn't know what to say, there was nothing he could do, "Thank you Dr Rogers, yes please call me tonight." Leonard said to him, then ending the conversation.

Leonard was quiet all the way to the car and then was quiet on the way to the airport. Bernadette had Howard drive, she didn't trust Leonard's reactions behind the wheel of a car, right now. She wanted him to talk, he was holding too much inside, he needed to talk.

"Leonard, we couldn't hear much of your conversation with the doctor. How is Penny doing?" Bernadette asked, trying to get him to talk.

Leonard looked up from his hands, "The doctor says she is healing fine and the baby is fine. But she is still….still in pain." Leonard said, looking at his hands again.

"Leonard, you need to concentrate on that she is doing fine and is getting better and the baby is fine. The rest will pass." Bernadette told him, and saw him nod. No one said anything else, all the way to the airport.

Michael and Dawn came out of the main terminal, to baggage claim, and saw Leonard immediately. Michael smiled and started to walk towards his brother, then became concerned when he saw the expression on Leonard's face, his face was covered in defeat and sorrow. He was hoping nothing happened to Penny while he was coming there. He walked up to Leonard and just hugged him.

"Leonard is everything okay with Penny?" Michael asked his brother, he knew that was why Leonard was like this.

"She is still in the hospital, the doctor says she is getting better and the baby is okay. But Michael she is still locked up." Leonard said, almost pleading to his brother.

Michael nodded, "That is why I am here brother. We'll get her out, I promise. Leonard you remember my wife Dawn." Michael moved so Leonard could see Dawn.

Dawn took a step towards Leonard and hugged him too. She liked Leonard, and she knew Michael loved him, he had told her several times how Leonard made his life, growing up, bearable. "I'm really sorry Leonard, about Penny. But Michael will help her, I know it." Dawn told her brother-in-law, and felt him nod.

Michael and Dawn got their bags with Howard and Leonard's help, then Michael went over to the rental car counter to get a car. "Michael, we can drive you around and provide you a car." Leonard told his brother.

Michael smiled. "Leonard I am getting a car, then you and me are going to the sheriffs department to explain why we need to see Penny right now. If your friends don't mind taking care of my wife and bags, we will meet up in a couple of hours." Michael said to Leonard, then looked at his wife. "Okay Honey?" he asked, and Dawn smiled and nodded. Leonard didn't question his brother again and just stood there waiting to do anything he said. The thought of seeing Penny occupying his every thought.

By 2:50 PM, Howard and Bernadette where driving, Dawn and her luggage, to their apartment to rest and wait for Leonard and Michael. Leonard and Michael were driving to the county jail, talking quietly on what Michael expected to happen once they got there. Leonard, for the first time in the last 24-hours, felt like something positive was happening for Penny.

It was still Saturday visiting hours, when Michael and Leonard arrived at the reception desk of the county jail. Michael showed the officer, at the counter, his California credentials and told him he was Penny's lawyer and he wanted to see his client. The officer told Michael she was not in the jail, but in the hospital and so he couldn't see her, which did not deter Michael.

"You have held my client and denied her representation for almost 24-hours, officer. Plus now I find out she was beaten in your jail, I am concerned about my client's health and well being in your custody right now. I need to verify she is being treated well and is not a victim of police brutality. Please get your supervisor immediately." Michael told the officer, who was now getting uncomfortable.

"Please wait here, I'll get the shift commander." the officer told Michael and quickly went away.

Less than five minutes later Lieutenant Alan Carlton walked up, followed by his second in command, Sergeant Carl Norton. The Lieutenant was considered, by the sheriff, to be one of the finest officers in his force, that is why he was commander of the day shift, the busiest shift and the one that dealt the most with the public. "Sir may I help you?" Lieutenant Carlton asked

"Like I told your officer, I am Penelope's lawyer and she has been unavailable to me for almost 24-hours and I am concerned about my client's condition." Michael told the Carlton.

Lieutenant Carlton, looked at the computer screen to see Penny's file and frowned. "It says your client, was beat up by another inmate last night and is currently in county for her injuries."

"I need to verify my client's situation and talk to her." Michael insisted.

Lieutenant Carlton was a decent man, that is why he was respected by his peers, and the screen said Penny was in jail because of a bench warrant for missing a court date, which seemed severe. Her being beat up by another inmate was more punishment than she deserved. "I can let you see her for an hour. Who is the gentleman with you." Carlton asked.

Michael looked at Leonard. "He is her fiancé, and has retained me as her lawyer." Michael said.

Carlton looked at Leonard, something about him seemed familiar and he didn't look like someone who would cause problems. "Let me see your ID." he told Leonard, who then handed his drivers license to the Lieutenant.

"Alright, you are her next-of-kin. One hour, one at time, you will have decide how you split it up. You will searched before you go in and will not be allowed to take anything in, except pen and paper. Agreed?" Carlton said to them and got nods from them both.

"Carl, can you go there and escort them, I'll cover for you. If they don't do exactly as you say, their visit is to be terminated." Carlton told Norton, while looking at Michael and Leonard.

Norton nodded to Carlton. "I will meet you in the hospital lobby." he told Michael and Leonard, then watched them leave.

Carlton looked at Norton. "Carl, that ass Simpson, didn't investigate who beat up that young women. See if you can get her to tell you who did it." Carlton told Norton, who nodded.

Leonard couldn't describe how he felt, in less than a hour, Michael had made it possible for him to see Penny. Leonard could hardly control himself when they reached the hospital and he almost ran to the lobby. Sergeant Norton was waiting for them and lead them immediately up to the secured area.

Michael was searched first and then went in with Norton to see Penny. Michael and Leonard had agreed that was the best thing to do, so Michael could get all the information he needed, to help her. Once inside, Michael expected Norton to leave him alone with Penny, and wait outside, but Norton stayed. "Counselor, could I ask who beat up your client?" he asked Michael

"Okay, but I reserve to intervene at anytime." Michael told him, and Norton nodded.

Penny had watched the officer and man walk into the room and talk for a minute. The officer was like all the officers she had seen in the last two days, but the man he was different, she thought she had seen him before. As the man walked towards her, she remembered where she had seen him before, a picture on Leonard's dresser, a picture of this man and his beautiful new wife.

Michael leaned towards Penny, "Hello Penny, I am your lawyer, I was retained by Leonard….." Michael was saying to her.

"Michael!" Penny said, a small smile on her face.

Michael nodded and smiled. "Yes, you have a lawyer now, I'm going to take care of this legal matter for you." he told her. "Penny before we start, the officer wants to ask you a question. You don't have to answer and if I tell you, don't say anything, okay." he said and got a nod from Penny.

"Miss, I just want to know if you know who did this to you." Norton asked, and Michael nodded to Penny.

Penny whispered, as the officer put his head close to her, "She was really big, over 6 foot tall and heavy, built like a man. Brown hair and I was able to hit her on the side of the face, after she first hit me, so I bet there is a bruise on the left side of her face." Penny said, happy to tell someone.

Norton nodded, he thought he knew who she was talking about, he had seen a woman that matched that description when he made his rounds of the cell block, at the beginning of his shift. "Thank you, Miss. Counselor, that is all I need, your hour starts now." Norton said, then walked out of the room.

Michael talked with Penny for a half hour, getting every piece of information she had about what had happened to her. Penny was so happy to talk to Leonard's brother, she immediately fell in love with him and thought how nice it would be to have him as a brother-in-law. She felt things were going to be better now, he told her they would be and she believed him. She felt so bad when, after a half hour, he told her he had everything he needed and was going to leave.

"Michael, will you tell Leonard something?" she asked him

Michael smiled, "Why don't you tell him yourself. I'll send him in." Michael said smiling, seeing her eyes light up.

Once outside the bars, Michael told Leonard she was expecting him. Norton nodded and told Leonard he had 30 minutes, then walked him into her room. Leonard could barely contain the excitement, he was finally going to see her.

When Norton and Leonard entered her room, she had such an excited expression on her face and said, as loud as she could 'Leonard', holding up her undamaged hand. Leonard moved quickly to her and gently took hold of her, they were both crying. Norton was actually moved, so he immediately walked out of the room and waited outside.

Leonard finally let loose of Penny then bent down to kiss her, "Oh God, Penny, I love you, I'm so sorry." Leonard said, his eyes still had tears in them.

Leonard's touch and kiss, made Penny's heart swell, she felt so much better having him there, "I love you, Honey." she whispered, pulling him close again so she could kiss him again. She was still crying, happy tears.

Penny and Leonard held each other the whole time together, they couldn't even remember how many times they kissed each other. They were afraid to let go of each other, because they knew they would have to part and so letting go was not an option. They talked to each other a little, but nothing really important, except for how much they loved each other. It was all they could both do to separate when Officer Norton told Leonard he had to leave, an HOUR later.

Michael and Leonard shook hands and thanked Norton, as they left, Leonard not able to take his eyes away from the room Penny was in. Leonard felt better after seeing her, but now felt empty and helpless again, about being separated from her. Michael actually had to lead Leonard to the car and put him in, otherwise Leonard would have just stopped where he was left.

Penny missed Leonard horribly as soon as he left. She was almost able to forget about the dull pain that occupied her senses while he was there, his touch so soothed her. Michael had told her she would have an arraignment hearing on Monday and he was pretty positive he could get her out, so she had to wait till then, which gave her hope now. But thinking about this night and tomorrow, without Leonard, made her feel terribly lonely.

Michael drove away from the hospital, making Leonard listen to him and then tell him how to get to his friends house. As they drove and talked, Michael tried to comfort his distraught brother, who he could tell really loved this girl. This was the first time Michael had seen and talked to Penny and he also was immediately fond of her, so he understood how his brother could loose his heart to her.

"Leonard, I think everything is going to be Okay. She will probably be in the hospital all weekend and then Monday she will have a hearing. I am almost positive we will have her out on Monday, really confident, so she just needs to be in there one more full day. It will be alright brother." Michael told Leonard and Leonard nodded.

Lieutenant Alan Carlton and Sergeant Carl Norton walked into the women's cell block followed by the two female cell block officers. Carlton and Norton both looked at Marge and both noticed the bruise on the left side of her face. Carlton then looked at the two female officers and pointed to Marge, saying 'That One." Marge had a bad feeling, she was screwed, and she realized she was big trouble, when she found herself in solitary confinement cell and told she was going to be charged with assault.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Michael and Leonard arrived at Howard and Bernadette's, to find everyone there, including Raj, Amy and Sheldon. Dawn walked up to her husband and gave him a kiss, then walked over to Leonard and gave him a hug. "How is Penny doing, Leonard." she asked, Michael smiling and nodding to her.

"She is so banged up." Leonard said, looking at Dawn, "It is just not fair, why are they doing this to her?" he asked, Dawn shook her head, she didn't understand it either, so she led him to the couch to sit down.

Once seated, Dawn put her arm around Leonard, she could actually feel the tremors going through his body, he was crying inside. She felt so bad for him, she gave his cheek a kiss and then put her mouth close to his ear, "Leonard, Michael will fix this, your brother is one of the best lawyers out there, he WILL fix this." she whispered to him, then turned to look at her husband. Dawn was hurting for Leonard and Michael could see the pain in her eyes.

Leonard got quiet again so everyone started asking him questions, in turn, trying to get Leonard to open up and talk, while Michael just watched and smiled, Leonard had great friends. After a little while Dawn moved away from Leonard as another friend of Leonard's, Amy took her place beside him. Amy put her arm around Leonard, she, like everyone else could see how much pain he was in, and because it all was happening to her bestie, she was feeling some of Leonard's pain too. Michael pulled his wife into his lap and they both watched Leonard's friends comfort him, Michael felt happy for his brother.

Everyone talked and visited for the next 4 hours, after the first hour, ordering pizza to eat, and even getting Leonard to eat some. Leonard never fully got back to his normal self, but he did respond to everyone and seemed interested most of the time in the conversations. Leonard just couldn't get his mind off of Penny, he wouldn't be happy until she was in his arms safe, the only thing he was certain of was if once he got her back, he would never let her go again.

Dr Rogers just got off the phone with Lieutenant Simpson, the swing shift commander for the county jail. Dr Oswell had told him about his conversation with this officer, so Rogers had already had a plan when he had called. Simpson told Rogers the same story and he told Oswell, he didn't have enough officers and since she wasn't dying she needed to be back in jail. Rogers told Simpson she couldn't even walk yet, so unless he had medical personnel, a hospital bed and some way to monitor, moving her was threat to her life. Rogers snickered to himself when Simpson swore at him and hung up, he had acted just the way Frank had said he would.

Penny was looking up to Dr Rogers smiling face, for the first time feeling a little better, since Leonard left. Penny had a hard time thinking about anything but Leonard and her baby. However, Rogers had turned into her angel of mercy, in this hospital, and she was always relieved when he was around because she knew she was in good hands with him and so was her baby. However, he now wanted her to do something she didn't know if she could do, walk around.

"Penelope, you need to start walking some, otherwise just laying on your back, you could get pneumonia and that wouldn't be good for your and your baby." Rogers said, knowing telling her, it would effect her baby, would motivate her.

Penny nodded, and Rogers helped her sit up, the pain in her ribs was horrible and she almost screamed, but couldn't really find the breathe to do it. Penny finally got up and sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, letting the pain subside, then stepped onto the floor, with Rogers help. Once on her feet, her ribs didn't hurt as much, as long as she didn't twist her body. Penny, again with Rogers help, walked around the room and the small hall, in the secure area, for the next half hour, Penny getting use to doing it with her hurt ribs and her small persistent headache. After, she was back in her bed she felt tired but actually better, really believing now, she was going to get better.

"We'll leave the catheter in tonight, but I really want to remove it tomorrow and have you going to the bathroom on your own, so you are going to have to get out of the bed and walk." Rogers told her and Penny nodded.

"You are getting better quickly, as I think you know, so we need you to start moving around more, that is why I'm pushing you, understand?" Rogers said to her, getting another nod.

"Okay good. Do you have any questions?" he asked, and then put his head down to listen.

"Could you give me those shots, like you did last night, but only if it doesn't hurt the baby." Penny asked him, she still hurt and knew she would trouble sleeping if she didn't get some pain relief.

"Yes, that should be Ok." Rogers smiled. He watched Penny fall asleep, ten minutes after he numbed her ribs and arm.

It was 10 PM when Leonard got the call from Dr Rogers, he now had Rogers' number in his address book. He listened for a few minutes, then told Rogers 'Thank You', finally hanging up and sighing. Leonard just sat there a few minutes staring at his phone, not even noticing that everyone had stopped talking and were looking at him.

"How is she brother?" Michael asked him for everyone. Dawn had taken Michael's hand and squeezed.

"She is okay. The doctor said she is asleep now and is sleeping peacefully." Leonard said, putting a weak smile on his face.

"That's great Leonard." Dawn said to him, his friends all nodding in agreement.

"Leonard, she is going to get better, I promise." Michael told him, getting another weak smile from him.

The mood in the room became very reserved and everyone thought it was time to go. Amy, Sheldon and Raj bid their farewells, Amy was driving, because Raj had a few beers and Sheldon was too advanced to drive. That left Michael and Dawn to use the spare bedroom, while Bernadette gave Leonard bedding to sleep on the couch. Everyone went to their rooms to sleep and Leonard went to lay on the couch, he missed Penny so bad.

Leonard knew what was wrong with him, he knew if he and Penny ever got to this point, in their relationship, he would not be able to loose her, he would not be able to handle it. He adored Penny, he was so madly in love with her, he couldn't explain it to her, and he would do anything for her. It went well beyond sex, he would be happy to be with her, the rest of his life, even if they never had sex again. Her smile, her eyes, her voice, her touch, her personality, her wit and so much more, made him love her. He knew he would gladly die for her and he wished there was some way he could substitute himself for her now and take away her pain. Feeling as he did, sleep eluded Leonard, as he laid on the couch, until about 2 AM, when fatigue finally took him away to unconsciousness.

Leonard woke up early on Sunday, he hardly slept at all that night, but as soon as daylight lit up the room, he awoke. The picture of Penny, in her hospital bed was engraved in his mind and he couldn't stop thinking about her. Leonard sat on the couch, not knowing what to do, he felt so helpless sitting there, he wanted so much to be able to do something to help Penny. He was just about to get dressed and head to the hospital, when Michael came out of the guest room.

"Morning Leonard, did you get any sleep?" Michael asked him, his brother looked tired.

"A couple of hours." Leonard answered

"You looking like you are planning to go somewhere." Michael said, seeing Leonard seem surprised.

"I was thinking of going to the hospital, to see Penny." Leonard confessed.

"They are not going to let you see Penny. That Lieutenant yesterday did us a big favor, by letting us both in. They are not going to do that today." Michael told him, Leonard just nodded.

"Leonard we have work to do today. Penny told me some of the information that was told to her, but she didn't understand, because she is not a lawyer or ever been arrested before, so now I think I know what happened. There was a subpoena issued for her to be in court, and she didn't get it, however, someone must have said she did, so when she didn't show up, some judge, decided to issue a bench warrant for her arrest. Locking up a pregnant women for such a minor thing is crazy, but the law allows a judge to do that." Michael told Leonard, seeing the anger in his eyes.

"Why would some one do that to her?" Leonard asked

"The judge is either an ass or thinks their God, I don't know, but I have seen enough court cases to know this is not normal." Michael told him. "So here is the thing, brother, we need to see if we can find the subpoena, if it is around. This is what we can do to help Penny." Michael said and Leonard nodded.

"What does it look like?" Leonard asked, and Michael described to him what it should look like.

"When Dawn wakes up, we can search her stuff in the room, then we need to go to her apartment and look there." Michael said, and again Leonard nodded. Michael noticed his brother looked a little better now that he had a plan to do something.

Penny was awake at 9 AM, when Dr Oswell, came in to see her, he was becoming a familiar face to her now too. Dr Oswell must have talked to Dr Rogers, because he wanted he to try getting out of bed by herself, so they could remove the catheter, today. Much of the stiffness she had Saturday had gone away, and she had slept 9 hours, off and on, so she felt a little stronger, she forced herself and was able to stand by herself. She then moved to the bathroom and around the room, finally getting into bed herself.

Oswell was happy with her progress, "Good, your doing much better. I let Dr Rogers know about your progress and he will get you up and walking again later, then we can remove the catheter probably tonight." he told Penny. "Do you need anything right now, before I leave?" he asked.

Penny looked up from her bed, with a sad look on her face, "Leonard" she said to him.

"I'm sorry Penelope, that is one thing that is beyond my capabilities as a doctor." he told her, and she just nodded.

The rest of the morning for Penny was very lonely, she was by herself most of the morning, except for an occasional visit by a nurse to take readings off the machines she was hooked up to. There was a TV in her room and she had it on, more for company than any interest in the programs, except when one of the news shows had a small story on the brilliant Cal Tech PHD that currently had the physics community all excited. It made her cry when they flashed a picture of Leonard on the TV, she wanted them to keep it up forever. She really wanted this day to end quickly, because tomorrow Michael told her she should be free, and if that happened, she could be with Leonard again.

It was 11 AM when everyone was dressed and ready to go to Penny's apartment to search for the subpoena. The search of Penny's possessions at Bernadette's found nothing, so their last hope was her apartment. They planned to enter the building as a group, with Leonard hidden in the middle, to prevent the press from seeing him, and they were going to meet Raj, Amy and Sheldon, when they got there.

The weather helped their plan, because it was drizzling this Sunday. Bernadette and Howard wore jeans and hoodies, like Leonard, with their heads covered and Leonard didn't wear his glasses, but held Dawn's hand while being led by her. They reached the fourth floor and quickly entered Sheldon's apartment to find Amy, Raj and Sheldon waiting for them. Michael told everyone what they were looking for, and after Amy checked the hall, they all stepped out, with Penny's spare key, to open and search her apartment.

No sooner that Leonard opened Penny's door, Michael told everyone to stop, the Subpoena was laying on the floor, just inside the door. Michael took a picture and had a couple of the other members of the group take pictures of the subpoena on the floor, then Michael told them all to think about what just happened, the last five minutes, because he was going to take depositions from each of them on how they found the subpoena. A few minutes later, Michael picked up the subpoena, and a soon as Sheldon got a close look at it he cleared his throat, which made everyone look at him.

"Monday, the woman was carrying that Monday, when she wanted to see Penny." Sheldon said, everybody looking at him in shock.

"What woman? Tell us all about it." Michael asked.

The group locked Penny's door and all went back into Sheldon's apartment. The girls went to get drinks, while Leonard, Howard, and Michael sat on either side of Sheldon, so they could hear every word he said. Sheldon, was nervous, thinking he was in trouble, but Michael told him to tell them everything he remembered in a calm voice, which Michael didn't know would be every detail, with Sheldon's eidetic memory. Sheldon provided Michael with every detail, including exact times, of his encounter with Janice and how she had the exact document, in her hand, when she talked to him. He also told Michael how he suggested she put in under the door, because he thought she was just a reporter leaving a message. When Sheldon was done, Michael had a big smile on his face, he was convinced Penny never got the subpoena and this whole thing was a big mistake, that would be cleared up quickly.

"Sheldon, how do you remember all this in such detail." Michael asked, very impressed.

Sheldon could see Michael was impressed, which made him very happy, "I have an eidetic memory, if you would like I can type this all up for you." Sheldon told Michael, very proud of himself.

Michael smiled, "That would be great Sheldon, it would help us with Penny's case." he told him, then watched as Sheldon got up and went to his desk to type it up.

Bernadette then walked up to Michael, "Michael, I was with Penny all day Monday, I stayed home from work, so she wouldn't be alone." she told him.

Michael just stared at her for a second, "You were with her all day!" he said with surprise.

"Yes, from when she got up with Leonard till when she went to bed with Leonard, she never left me or the apartment." Bernadette told Michael, who was now smiling again.

"This is great. Everyone, we are going to spend most of the afternoon putting together depositions for you to sign for Penny's defense. I hope no one minds." Michael told them all, and everyone told him they would do anything he needed done to help Penny.

It was 6 PM when Michael had the last of the depositions signed and stacked all together. They had all helped, and now he had a deposition from each person when they discovered the subpoena, one from each person who spent time with Penny the last week, Sheldon's about his encounter with the subpoena server, and Bernadette's about being with her all day Monday. As a matter of fact, Michael now had a detailed history of almost every minute of Penny's time for the whole last week, after she had left the hospital. Michael now had enough evidence to help Penny and he couldn't wait to get the subpoena server on the stand. They were finished, so the gang then sneaked out of the apartment building again and went to Howard and Bernadette's, getting take out food on the way, spending the rest of the evening there. This evening was going to be a lot more fun, Leonard was now feeling confident he would have Penny back before tomorrow was done.

Penny's day had been boring and long, she laid in bed the whole day, with her only visitors being a couple of nurses, checking on her and bringing her food. She had become a channel surfer, trying to find any news show talking about Leonard's work, so she could hear his name or see his picture. She had found two, but each story had been less than a couple of minutes, because since no one had talked to him, there wasn't much they could report. She was getting better at ignoring the lingering pain from her ribs and arm, during the day, and her headache was of so low intensity now, she completely forgot about it. She was so lonely, not being able to keep her thoughts off of Leonard, and felt like screaming for joy, when Dr Rogers showed up to check on her.

The next hour went by fast, Penny got up on her own and walked around and used the bathroom. Dr Rogers removed the catheter and told her he wanted her to try and use the bathroom from now on, but if it was too hard on her they could put it back in, she just had to ask. Penny felt a little more free now, with some of the tubes and wires off of her, and was determined to try and get better. However, even with all the excitement she felt while working with him, when Dr Rogers left, the loneliness came back to her, and she began to miss Leonard again.

Penny laid there and thought about Leonard and their baby, those were the only thoughts that made her feel joy. It had been over 5 years since she first saw Leonard and she felt like an idiot that it had taken her so long to admit her love for him. Things now were so different, after she had admitted she loved him, something changed in her, she then realized she wanted to marry him someday and she felt different about him. He had always been her friend, then best friend, but after she told him, she loved him, he became her love and she was so happy when she thought about it. Loosing him, over a month ago, had taken a part of her soul and left her feeling empty, Leonard was now a part of her, he was her soul mate, she knew that now. Not being able to touch him or talk to him hurt her more than the pain she felt from her injuries. That is why she wanted to marry him now, she couldn't live without him anymore, she needed him, he was the one. She wished she could just run away with him, and raise their baby someplace where things like this could not happen to them again. She continued thinking and time passed for her, she welcomed when the sky darkened outside her barred window because she began to feel tired, and sleep was the only time her mind could really rest.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Monday morning, found Michael, Leonard and Dawn sitting in court waiting for the morning arraignments. Leonard had contacted his department head, Dr Gablehauser, and told him he wasn't coming in today, he had to take it off, due to personal business. When Gablehauser pushed him about not coming in, Leonard told him there was no possible way, he could come in today, and he was sorry, but if it meant his job, then he understood. Gablehauser, was surprised at Leonard's statement, so he finished up their conversation by asking Leonard to keep him informed of his work and then said he would talk to him later. Alex was much easier, she just went over the work she could do on the project, without him, and wished him well with his personal business.

Now after about 1 hour, of watching other arraignments, Penny's arraignment came up and Michael went up to the front of the court to represent Penny. The judge looked at the paperwork, then gave Michael an aggravated look. "Counselor, this is about a bench warrant for your client's failure to show for her court date, where is she now?" the judge asked, obviously not happy.

"Your Honor, my pregnant client was arrested Friday, during a traffic stop, and put in the county jail. Within an hour, of her being locked up, my pregnant client was assaulted in the jail and had to be emergency transported to county hospital, to treat serious injuries to her and her unborn child. She had to undergo surgery and is still currently in the hospital." Michael said in a way, that put a surprised expression on the judge's face.

"How is you client now." the judge asked, now concerned a little.

"She is stable, but will be in the hospital, until the doctors feel she and her baby are healthy enough to leave. She is being held as a prisoner in the county jail portion of the hospital, being denied access to family and friends." Michael stated.

The judge looked at the paperwork, she was put in jail for a first offense of missing her court date for a social services hearing. Putting a pregnant woman in jail for such a minor first offense was a little crazy and something he would have never done. It now seemed senseless to keep her locked up. "Counselor, I am willing to release your client on her own recognizance, if you assure me she will make her next court date." the judge told Michael

"Your Honor, I will make sure of it. She is looking forward to her day in court." Michael told the judge, who looked at him with curiosity.

"All right, the defendant is being release on her own recognizance. Next case." the judge said.

Michael walked toward the door and Leonard and Dawn got up to leave, until suddenly Michael stopped. He saw a woman being brought up, in jail coveralls that matched the description, Penny had provided, right down to the bruised left side of her face. Michael turned around and walked up to the junior lawyer from the prosecutor's office and started to talk to him.

"Counselor, are you involved with this case too?" the judge asked.

"Your Honor, can I have two minutes." the prosecuting attorney asked, as he talked to Michael.

"Two minutes counselor." the judge said.

Two minutes later, "Your Honor, may we approach the bench." the prosecutor asked.

The judge was curious, "Yes please, tell me what is going on." the judge asked.

Michael and the prosecutor approached the bench and the prosecutor nodded to Michael, "Your Honor, the defendant is the person who put my client in the hospital. I have a signed deposition from my client, describing what happen and a description of her attacker, to give the court an idea what the defendant did to her." Michael said, handing the deposition to the judge.

"Your Honor, the prosecution would like to put this into the record for this defendant." the prosecutor stated.

Then judge read the deposition, he was not happy, "Agreed, it is entered into the record." he said.

The prosecutor then went back to his table. "Your honor, with the deposition provided the court, the prosecution feels it is a huge risk, to the public, to let this defendant out of custody. The defendant was arrested for assault, which resulted in the victim ending up in the hospital, then while in jail assaulted another pregnant woman, putting her in the hospital. Based on these charges, the prosecution recommends she remain in jail till her trial." the prosecutor stated.

The public defender looked at Marge in surprise, "You assaulted another person in jail?" the lawyer asked in surprise. To the judge, "Could I see the deposition, Your Honor?" the public defender asked, and was handed a copy by Michael. The lawyer read the document and looked at her client in disgust. "Thank you." was all she said as she put the papers down.

"The court believes the defendant does present a risk to the public and bail is denied. Next case." the judge said.

Michael walked out of court, Leonard and Dawn following him out, part one of his work was done. Michael smiled to himself, and thought, 'No one screws with the Hofstadters or future Hofstadters'. They then went to the records department to get the paperwork for Penny's release, and went out to their car, to head to the jail. The jail processed Penny's paperwork quickly, her release would allow them to close down the hospital containment area and get their deputy back. Penny's personal items were turned over to Michael, since he had authorization from Penny to serve in all capacity for her, and once everything was done they left quickly for the hospital.

Penny was laying in her hospital bed, hoping she made it through another day, in her confinement. She didn't think too much of it when two nurses came in, but was surprised when they started to disconnect all her wires and tubes from the wall units, then rolled her out of the room. At first Penny was terrified, she actually thought she was being returned to jail.

"Am I going back to jail?" she asked the nurse, she was almost in tears.

The nurse saw how upset she was, "No, we are transferring you to a regular room, the county has released you." she told Penny, seeing her immediately relax.

Penny went through the hall, noticing there were now no police, and she was starting to really relax, she was free. Penny had a small smile on her face as she entered the elevator and was feeling so much better when she was rolled out of the elevator, down the hallway to an busy ward, to her new room. However, Penny was ecstatic when she was rolled into her new room and waiting for her were Leonard, Michael and a woman, who was the woman in the picture with Michael, on Leonard's nightstand.

Leonard and Penny stared at each other as her bed was maneuvered into position and the nurses started to hook up her lines and tubes. There seemed to be nobody else in the room as they looked at each other, waiting till the nurses were done. Penny barely heard the nurse ask her if she was fine and needed anything, but she said 'NO', so they would leave them as soon as possible. Penny and Leonard were in each others arms before the nurse got out the door, Michael and Dawn watching them, smiles on their faces, their eyes a little wet.

After a while Penny and Leonard finally let each other go, and kissed each other. Leonard then pulled something out of his pocket and took Penny's left hand to put her engagement ring back on it. Penny looked at her ring and broke down crying, she was in Leonard's arms a second later, crying on his shoulder for several minutes, the emotion of the last couple days finally coming out.

Michael and Dawn had sat down on the couch and watched Penny and Leonard for a long while, they wouldn't dare interrupt their reunion for anything. It seemed that Penny and Leonard didn't even realize they were there, they were so consumed with each other and unable to tear themselves apart. They hugged, cried, kissed and talked to each other, it was the most adorable scene of two people in love, with each other, Michael and Dawn ever seen. Finally, after almost an hour, they separated and Leonard looked at Michael and Dawn.

"Penny, you already know Michael, the very pretty woman with him is my sister-in-law, and his wife, Dawn." Leonard told Penny, and Dawn went over to hug Penny.

"I'm so sorry Penny." Dawn said, while hugging her.

"Thank you." Penny said, already liking Michael's wife.

Michael then hugged Penny, and was rewarded with a heartfelt 'Thank You', too, from Penny.

Leonard didn't want to be rude, Michael had done so much for him already, so he pulled up a chair, so he could sit next to Penny's bed and still hold her hand. He couldn't let go of her and she had a death grip on his hand, she couldn't let go either. Penny and Leonard, talked with Michael and Dawn, for an hour, until Leonard's brother told Leonard he had some more legal stuff to do for Penny and they had to leave. Leonard knew he was leaving so he and Penny could be alone, and he silently thanked him.

"Do you really have something pressing to do?" Dawn asked Michael, as they walked to the elevator, a slight smile on her lips.

"There is something I need to do, but not necessary right now. They needed to be alone." Michael said to his wife, smiling.

Dawn and Michael, got into the elevator and as soon as the door closed, Michael took his wife into his arms and kissed her, deeply. By the time they arrived at their floor, Dawn was standing there breathless, staring at her husband, she was speechless. They walked out to the car, hand in hand, before she was composed enough to ask him.

"Michael, what was that for?" Dawn asked, still breathing heavily

"Can't a man, kiss his beautiful wife, once in a while?" Michael simply answered

"Yes, of course, but that was some kiss, honey. My mind is conditioned so that kind of kiss is followed by love making." she said to him, smiling.

Michael, sighed, "Seeing Leonard and Penny, made me realize how I would feel if something like that happened to you. I guess I'm a lot like by brother. I just needed to kiss you then." he said

Dawn then grabbed his arm, resting her head on it, "I love you Michael. I love your brother and I think I will love Penny too." she said.

Michael smiled and kissed her head, "I love you, honey." he simply said.

Five minutes after Michael and Dawn left, Dr Rogers showed up to check on Penny, he had waited till their visitors had gone. Penny told Leonard how much Rogers had done for her and Leonard shook his hand and thanked him. Rogers checked Penny out and told them both she was doing great, along with the baby, then made Penny get up and walk around with Leonard for a few minutes, while he walked with them. Rogers answered questions and told them, if Penny was up to it, she could maybe go home tomorrow or Wednesday, which excited her. Rogers, left after Penny got back in bed and was comfortable, Leonard standing next to her bed, his hand in hers.

Penny and Leonard just stared at each other while they held hands, Leonard running his free hand along the side of her face. She was banged up again, and he wished he could take her hurt and pain away. He stared deeply into her eyes, and thought he could see into her soul, he saw it was full of love, making his heart swell in his chest. He promised himself, no one was taking her away from him again, no one.

Penny stared in Leonard's eyes, she was just so happy, she could look at him forever, and she could tell, by just looking at him, that he loved her. Everything before was a nightmare, she had longed for the time when she would be back with Leonard, and now she had him, she had everything she wanted. Her pain felt like it was gone, she didn't even think about it, her mind was locked on the man holding her hand and looking at her. She leaned upwards, she wanted to kiss him, she always wanted to kiss him, and his lips came down to meets hers. His lips were soft, warm and slightly moist, the feel on them against hers, sending chills through her, like they always did.

Their kiss lasted a long time, their lips refusing to part, the cat was always alive with them. When they parted they only separated far enough for their noses to still touch, again looking deep into each others eyes. They were both lost in each others gaze, neither of them having the words that were equal to the looks they were giving each other. Finally they needed to say something, they needed to talk to each other.

"I love you Penny." Leonard said to her, a smile immediately forming on her lips.

"Leonard, I love you so much." Penny responded, getting a smile on his lips.

Leonard's face turned serious, "Penny how are you feeling, are you in pain, is there anything I can do to help you?" he asked her, now concerned.

Penny kept smiling, "I can't explain how much better I am feeling now, honey. Just keep holding me, that is all I ask." she told him, Leonard nodded, his eyes wet, which when Penny saw them, made hers wet.

Leonard remained very close to her for the next few hours, never letting her go, while they talked. At first it was general talk, about her injuries, their baby and where she had pain, then about their friends and Leonard's family. Finally after a couple of hours Penny started to break down and tell Leonard about her ordeal, he had known not to push her and waited till she was ready. Penny cried several times when she talked about being arrested, locked up and beaten. Each incident tore at Leonard's heart and made him mad to his very core, but he kept his expression sympathetic for her benefit, while his hidden free hand was balled into a fist, his nails digging into he palm. Leonard never interrupted her, but let her talk until she had said everything she needed and he saw her relax after she was done, like a weight was pulled off of her. He didn't want to comment on anything she said, he could tell she didn't need it, she just wanted to tell him everything and get it off her soul. So when she was done he just told her, 'I'm Sorry' and got a smile from her and a nod, that was all she wanted. Leonard changed the subject then back to their friends and family, to get her mind off what happened to her. He even had her laughing about things that had happened with her friends, the last few days, she laughed until her ribs hurt, but even after that she smiled.

Michael had a friend in Pasadena who worked at a major law firm in the area. Michael had made a tentative appointment with him for dinner, so was now sitting at a table, with his wife, across from his friend, Daniel Morris. Daniel had gone to law school with Michael, so they had a personal connection of two people who shared something significant in their lives together, which created close bonds between them. Daniel was a partner at his law firm, and Michael was now going to ask him a big favor.

"Dan, I want to ask you a favor, that should be profitable for your firm." Michael asked him.

"A favor, I knew this dinner was going to cost me." Daniel said, laughing, "What do need Mike." Daniel asked.

"My brother's fiancée has been treated bad by the local legal system and by the press. I can take care of the legal part, but I will need some support to handle the press and the law suits." Michael said to Daniel, seeing his eyes go wide.

"You are going to sue the press, again." Daniel asked in surprise. Daniel had closely followed the First Amendment case Michael had argued in front of the Supreme Court, years ago, and won. It was why Michael was a tenured law professor at Harvard at such a young age. Michael had argued that the First Amendment was an individual right and when news corporations slandered people for personal gain, to gain advertisers and increase ratings, the First Amendment didn't apply and they could be sued like any other corporation. Michael's arguments had been so convincing, the justices had overwhelmingly agreed, and Michael prevailed in his case, causing tremors through the corporate news networks.

"Yes, the slander is beyond what is reasonable, and I know they don't have any evidence to support what they reported, because none of it happened. Plus I am going to sue county social services and maybe a judge." Michael said, getting another surprise look from Daniel.

"A judge?" Daniel asked, Michael nodded.

Michael then told Daniel everything involved in his plan and Daniel listened in great interest. Dawn listened to her husband too, and was amazed on what he planned to do, but happy he was going to do it. Thirty minutes later, they had just finished their desert and coffee, Daniel was nodding to Michael, he was going to work with him. Michael only really needed administrative support of Daniel's firm, the actual lawyer work he would do, but for Daniels firm's help he was going to give them a percentage of all funds awarded, a percentage Daniel agreed his firm would accept. If they didn't win any money, Michael promised Daniel a fixed payment for their effort, which Daniel stated would guarantee his firm's participation. They shook hands and parted company, Michael and Dawn heading back to Howard's and Bernadette's apartment, Michael now had a law firm and support to operate in Pasadena.

Sheldon and Amy arrived at the hospital at 7 PM, Sheldon caring an emergency overnight supplies bag for Leonard. Leonard had asked him to put something together for him, because Leonard had already decided he was not leaving Penny's side. Sheldon hated hospitals and Penny's room was germ infested, as far as he was concerned, so he sprayed the couch, in her room, down with disinfectant, before he attempted to sit down.

"No Sheldon, that is my spot." Penny said suddenly, having a little fun with him, she was feeling a lot better now and had the bed adjusted so she was sitting up.

Sheldon jumped up, surprised, "I'm sorry Penny, I didn't know." he said apologetically.

Penny laughed, "No Sheldon, I was just screwing with you. My spot is Leonard, where ever he is." she said, looking up at Leonard, standing next to her and smiling, squeezing his hand.

Sheldon looked at her then stood there thinking, "Then….then that means my spot is now….Amy." Sheldon said slowly, looking at Amy.

Amy was stunned, she turned to look at her boyfriend, "It's…me." she barely said, in disbelief.

"Yes, Penny said her spot is the person most important to her, therefore, my spot must be you." Sheldon explained to his girlfriend.

Penny was squeezing Leonard's hand and Leonard looked down at her, seeing her eyes were wet. She looked up at him and he could read her face, it said 'Oh my God', then she smiled at him before she turned back to look at Sheldon and Amy.

Amy didn't know what to say, Sheldon saying she was his spot, in the universe, was like saying he loved her, "Sheldon are you saying…." Amy's statement was cut off when Sheldon leaned down and kissed her.

Leonard couldn't believe his eyes, Penny was crushing his hand, and he looked down to see tears rolling down her cheeks. Leonard smiled because he knew they were happy tears for her friends and he loved seeing Penny happy again. Leonard looked back at Amy and Sheldon, the kiss had been short, but Amy's look was indescribable, a mixture of happiness and confusion. She was speechless, and it wasn't over, Sheldon sat down on the spot he prepared and pulled her down next to him, holding her hand the whole time. Amy had tears in her eyes, she never remembered being so happy.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Leonard and Penny were afraid to say anything, they were afraid to spoil the moment for their friends. Amy was still too stunned to speak, Sheldon had just kissed her, in their friends presence, said she was his spot and was now sitting close to her, holding her hand. Sheldon had done most of those things before, but individually, never all together, like someone like Leonard would do, and never in public. Then the thing about his spot being the person he cared about most, was so romantic, she was confused, but very happy.

A few awkward minutes passed before Leonard thought he better say something before things got weird. "Sheldon, thanks for bringing the bag for me." Leonard said, hoping to get everyone talking.

"Your Welcome, how long do you intend to stay here." Sheldon asked.

"Until, I walk out of here with Penny." Leonard said, seeing Sheldon cringe at the thought of staying in a hospital.

"Can you do that?" Amy finally said, her temporary trance now over. She had so many questions, but she didn't want to push Sheldon, especially in front of their friends.

"Yes, they allow a person to stay continuously with the patient." Leonard told her.

"That is so nice." Amy said.

"How is that nice!" Sheldon said, "Staying the whole night in a germ infested hospital." Sheldon added, cringing again.

Amy now also cringed, she could not understand how Sheldon could slowly be more affectionate with her and not see how Leonard could love Penny so much, he wouldn't leave her side.

Penny looked at Leonard again, and he could read her face again, it said, 'Same old Sheldon'. Leonard smiled at her and almost laughed, which made her smile back at him.

Rick Robinson and his current girlfriend Kelly, the nurse's aid from county hospital, were having dinner in her apartment. Rick had been in court that morning, hoping to catch Penelope, at the arraignment, to corner for an interview and get pictures, but instead found out she was in the hospital again. He now needed Kelly to get information for him again. Kelly had turned into a good source of information for him, but he was getting a little tired of her, she had been his sort of girlfriend for a year now. She seemed to want to get serious with him, so he needed to break it off soon, he didn't want to get serious with someone like her. He thought Kelly was too common, she was cute, but he wanted someone who was gorgeous, model like, and when he made it big, as a reporter, he knew he would get somebody like that. So after this story was wrapped up, he decided Kelly was gone.

"Honey, you know that girl, Todd Stewart was in the accident with. Well she is in your hospital again." Rick told Kelly, trying to ease into his request to her.

"Really, did she have a relapse or something from her injuries?" Kelly asked, interested.

"No she was in jail for something, and got beaten up, so she is back in County." Rick told her.

"Wow, she is really something. She must really be unlucky or be a tramp." Kelly said.

"Exactly, so you see how anything about her would be big news, since she is Todd Stewart's girlfriend." Rick said, giving Kelly a big smile.

"Do you want me to find out about her?" Kelly asked, she just wanted to please Rick, she was falling in love with him.

"Yeah, and if you could also find out what room she was in that would be great." Rick asked her, giving her his best sexy smile.

Kelly gave him a seductive smile back, "Of course dear, I call you tomorrow, at work, as soon as I find out." Kelly said, then walked over and got in Rick's lap.

Leonard, Penny, Amy and Sheldon talked for about an hour, until Sheldon said he had to leave to get to sleep on schedule. Amy sighed, and said goodnight, taking Sheldon out of the room, to take him home. Penny and Leonard actually had enjoyed their company but now Leonard could see Penny was wore out, it had been a long busy and emotional day for her, and since now she was feeling more relaxed, she quickly became tired and sleepy. Leonard and Penny were talking quietly together, Leonard telling her she needed to sleep and her agreeing, when the nurse came in.

"Will you be staying the night?" the nurse asked Leonard, she looked at them both holding hands. She knew from the other nurses, that ever since the blonde patient had been rolled in, this man had never left her side, and when she now looked at their hands she could see the girl was wearing a beautiful engagement ring. The nurses at the nurses station had already nicknamed them 'Romeo and Juliet', because they seemed so much in love.

"Yes, I was told that was allowed, by the doctor." Leonard said.

"Will you be staying on the couch? It folds out into a bed and I can get you sheets." the nurse told Leonard, then saw him look at the couch then at his hand, in the hand of his fiancée, a sudden look of confusion on his face. He didn't want to let go of her, and the nurse could see the girl didn't want to let go of him, because she was looking at their hands too. The nurse immediately felt sorry for them, she knew the blonde had been beat up, and she had multiple injuries, plus she was pregnant. They were obviously in love, and they both had helpless looks on their faces. "Let me check on something, I'll be right back." the nurse told them.

Ten minutes later, another hospital bed, like the one Penny was in, was rolled into the room. The nurse and orderly, adjusted the beds so that they were right along side each other and set up at the same height, so except for the small crack between them, they were like a big bed. The nurse then finished taking Penny's vitals, told them goodnight and left smiling at the happy expressions on Romeo and Juliet's faces.

Leonard helped Penny out of bed, so she could go to the bathroom and get ready for bed, then he got ready. The pain didn't seem so bad when Leonard helped her and Penny kept thinking she would love to go home as soon as possible. Once Leonard got her settled back in bed, he climbed into the bed next to hers and laid on his side so he could watch her, while he held her hand. Penny had to lay on her back, due to her ribs and arm, but her free hand was in Leonard's hand and as they laid there quietly talking, she fell asleep. Leonard smiled watching her sleep, falling asleep ten minutes later, his fingers still intertwined in hers.

The young nurse that came in Penny's room to check the monitors, sighed when she saw them asleep together, they looked so cute together, holding hands while they slept. She got the readings, off the monitors, trying to be quiet as possible, to not wake them, she knew the blonde needed to sleep. Once she was done, she rushed back to the nurses station, to tell the other nurses about Romeo and Juliet and how adorable they were right now and she thought, when she found someone, she hoped her love would be as magical as theirs.

Leonard woke as soon as the room got light from the morning sunshine, slightly disoriented, until he felt Penny's hand in his. He opened his eyes to see her still deep in sleep, gently snoring, she seemed so peaceful, he just laid there watching, love in his eyes. He didn't know how long he laid there, but after a while a nurse came in, noticing he was awake, and came close to whisper to him.

"Do you want to wake her for something to eat or let her sleep?" the nurse whispered to Leonard.

Leonard thought for a moment, she needed sleep, but she really had not eaten much, according to Dr Rogers, and she needed to eat. "What time is it?" Leonard whispered back to the nurse.

"It is 8 AM. She can get breakfast till 9 AM." the nurse whispered in response.

"Okay, I will wake her in about another half hour, so she can order and eat." Leonard whispered back, and the nurse nodded, finished her monitor readings recording and then went back out of the room. Leonard spent the next half hour just watching his beautiful angel sleep.

Kelly was at the reception desk in the Emergency Room, typing away at the computer, searching. One of her jobs was to input records into the computer, so her typing on this computer seemed normal, for anyone who knew what she did, however what she was searching for was not her normal job. Rick had given her Penny's information and Kelly was now looking up her injuries and where she was located, so she could print them out for him. It took her a couple of minutes, but she got everything and sent it to the printer, smiling cause she knew Rick would be very happy.

It was now time for Penny to get up, she had been asleep for 11 hours, which was very good, but now she needed to eat for her and their baby. Leonard hated to do it, but he gently put his free hand against her face and brushed her cheek caressing it and slowly waking her up. Her eyes started to flutter, then she slowly rolled her head to look at him, a smile forming on her lips.

"Good morning, beautiful." Leonard softly said to her, smiling.

"Good morning, honey." Penny responded, smiling back.

"Is my snuggle bunny ready to have some breakfast." Leonard said, teasing her.

Penny gave a little giggle, "Yes your snuggle bunny, does feel a little hungry." she responded and squeezed his hand.

The nurse came in a couple minutes later, finding Leonard helping Penny out of bed to use the bathroom. Penny gave the nurse her breakfast order, from the menu she left earlier, and then went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Penny was determined to do everything she needed to prove to Dr Rogers she should go home today, so she resisted Leonard's help, unless she actually couldn't do something without him. She found she could do most everything now, and only used Leonard to help her when doing something that stressed her rib muscles, making her ribs hurt, but even then that was to minimize the pain. When breakfast came, there were actually two breakfasts, the nurses saying there must have been a mix up, but telling Leonard he should eat the other, otherwise it would be just thrown out and wasted. So Penny and Leonard, ended up quietly eating breakfast together, happy being with each other, enjoying Penny's first true day of freedom. Penny found herself to be famished and ate all her food, plus a little of Leonard's, which Leonard gladly gave her, feeding it to her himself, making them both giggle and laugh.

Kelly was on her cell phone talking to Rick, reading information off her printout about Penelope and telling him which room she was in. Rick now had information on her spending the weekend in custody, being beat up and what her injuries were. Rick told Kelly he wanted to come by in a few hours and surprise Penelope, to get a interview or statement from her, or if that didn't work snap some pictures of her. Kelly thought for a minute and told him coming at lunch time was a good idea, because everything was busy around that time and no one would probably notice him. She also told Rick, if he brought flowers with him and wore a unmarked baseball cap, people would just think he was delivery flowers and it would be even easier for him to get to Penelope unnoticed. Rick thanked Kelly which made her happy after she hung up with him because Rick seemed so happy and she liked doing things for him.


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Kelly smiled to herself, thinking how happy she would be when her and Rick were married and she knew, all she was doing for him now, would help him understand how much he needed her. Rick was so pleased with her and what she had done for him, this was going to be a wonderful day, she thought, then she actually spun in her chair in delight. However when Kelly had spun in her chair, about 180 degrees, she found herself face to face with Dr Oswell, and he didn't look very happy.

Dr Oswell had come in during the day to catch up his supervisory paperwork for a couple hours, since he had fell behind, while filling in the swing shift Emergency Room doctor duties. He had just gotten a coffee from the cafeteria and decided to check on Penny's status, when he saw Kelly and decided to ask her to print up Penny's status sheet for him. He walked up behind her, but she was on the phone, so he politely waited for her to finish, trying not to eavesdrop, however, what she was saying to the other person on the phone surprised him. She was giving someone personal medical information, off a printout, and when Oswell looked over her shoulder and saw the name on the printout, he hand to control himself from grabbing Kelly and shaking her. He was about to say something to her, but she suddenly said goodbye to the person she was talking to then spun in her chair and was now staring at him in shock.

Kelly had broken several rules and a couple laws, with what she had did, and Oswell was mad because she had done this against the young pregnant woman, Rogers and him were treating and trying to help. Oswell was completely disgusted with Kelly, so he grabbed the a nearby phone, to order security to the desk, he and Kelly were now staring at each other, at. Kelly sat and looked at Dr Oswell, like a deer looking at headlights, until security came and broke her out of her trance.

The hospital had a full time security force, but also always had one off duty city police officer, on each shift, so that they could have a police officer in case an arrest had to be made. Sergeant Morris, had worked this off duty job, to make extra money, for 3 years now, and was friendly with most of the doctors and hospital staff, including Dr Oswell. The hospital did not play games with people, their job to protect life and provide a safe environment for their patients, so that made every crime serious, at the hospital, and the city police officers, that worked there, did arrest people sporadically. Kelly had violated a couple of laws, so Sergeant Morris, after Dr Oswell described what happened, arrested her and brought her to the hospital detention center, to await transport to the city jail.

Kelly was sobbing by the time she reached the hospital detention center, she had known she broke laws, but she never thought she would get caught, so she was telling everyone she was sorry. Morris was always amused how criminals, after they were caught, were suddenly sorry for their crimes, but while they were committing their crimes there was no remorse. Dr Oswell was concerned about who she told the information too, so while he waited for the city jail van to pick Kelly up, Morris thought he see how sorry she was and if she would tell him who she told the information too.

Morris brought a chair up to sit it front of Kelly, then using his best fatherly voice, "Miss you realize you have committed a serious crime, that will hurt a patient in this hospital." he gently said to her.

"I know now, I am really sorry, I won't do it again, I promise." Kelly said between her tears.

"I really believe you are sorry, Miss, and I know you want to make things better, so we need to know who you told that medical information to, so we can protect Penelope and make this thing better. You do want to help, don't you, make things better, because you are sorry?" Morris said to her, giving her and understanding smile.

Kelly nodded, "Yes I want to make things better, I am really sorry." Kelly repeated., still crying.

Morris gave her a smile, "Good, that is all we want from you. Who did you tell about Penelope?" Morris asked her, still smiling sweetly to her.

Kelly thought, 'That is all they want and I'm not in trouble anymore', "It was my boyfriend Rick, I told him." Kelly said.

Morris looked confused, this didn't make sense, "Why would your boyfriend want information about Penelope, Miss, that is really not helping us here." Morris said, making her understand he was disappointed in her.

Kelly was now scared again, so she told Morris everything she knew, including that Rick Robinson was a paper reporter and was going to sneak in the hospital room of Penelope around lunch time. She then answered Morris's questions on all the information she had given Rick, including the night of the accident, and provided Morris a description of Rick. Kelly felt relieved when Morris thanked her for her help, but was stunned when he walked out of the detention room, leaving her still in it, and locking the door behind him.

It was now after breakfast, Leonard was sitting on the edge of Penny's bed, softly talking to her, his back towards he door of the room. They would talk, then tenderly kiss each other, then talk again, holding each others hands the whole time, it was a peaceful relaxed time they were both enjoying. Leonard was just mentioning how he had talked to Dr Gablehauser and he was going to work at home for a little while, so he could be with her after she left the hospital, when he saw Penny's face suddenly change and her eyes go wide. He looked at her face, it was a mix of shock, confusion, and terror, mostly terror, and she was looking at something over his shoulder, behind him. Leonard turned his body, to see what had her so scared because he was now scared, and saw a man in a police uniform standing in the doorway. All of Leonard's anger, since Friday, came to the surface, they were not going to take her from him, he thought, he was not going to let her go, he was going to defend her. He stared at the police officer, his anger building by the second, while behind him he could hear Penny whimper as she started to cry, it was breaking his heart.

"What do you want?" Leonard said to the man in the uniform, Leonard's tone was low, guttural and menacing.

Sergeant Morris looked at Leonard after he spoke, he had talked to a lot of people during the course of his job and he could tell by the way this man had now talked to him that he was in a tense situation. Morris didn't know what was going on, he was ignorant to their situation and had not been working when she was locked up in the jail section of the hospital, so he was concerned about how to act with these two obviously upset people. But Morris knew people and had good people skills, so be became as polite and friendly as he could.

"Hi, sorry to bother you, but a situation has come up that I need to tell you about, if you have the time." Morris said, smiling and trying to look non-confrontational.

The officer had said, 'sorry to bother you' and 'if you have the time' and was smiling, which confused Leonard, but made him slowing drop his guard. However, he still didn't trust the man, "What is the problem?" Leonard asked, in a normal voice, he could still hear Penny sniffling behind him.

Morris quickly told Leonard what was happening, giving him all the facts in short concise sentences, because he knew that was the best thing to do right now. When he was done he saw Leonard relax and move slightly to the side, so Morris could now see Penelope, and he could tell she had been crying. Morris now realized, that the man, Leonard, had been shielding the woman, Penelope, from him, Morris, and he really wondered what terrible thing had happened to these two to make them so edgy and the man so protective.

However, now, once they knew what he wanted, they were becoming more receptive of him and were carefully listening to him, making him quickly forget the earlier tension, and he concentrated on telling them what he wanted them to do.

Rick walked in the hospital, wearing a gray jacket that matched his gray pants and hat, carrying a vase of flowers. Rick looked like any other delivery man, except in the flowers was a tape recorder and in his pocket he had a small high definition digital camera. He took the elevator to the floor Kelly told him, and walked down the hallway to the room she said Penelope would be in, the door to the room almost completely closed. Rick turned the recorder on and took the camera out, so that he could take a picture as soon as he saw her, he was ready, so he pushed the door open to surprise Todd Stewart's pregnant girlfriend.

Rick was already halfway in the dark room until he realized there was no one in the hospital bed and there was someone standing in the back of the room. The lights then came on suddenly and Rick found himself standing in front of a police officer, Sergeant Morris. Rick was smart enough to know something was terribly wrong, so he was just turning to leave, when he saw a very large security officer standing between him and the door. He wasn't going anywhere, so he decided to tell these people who he was and he was protected by the First Amendment, so they better back off.

"I am a reporter for the newspaper, here on a story lead, so you better not try anything, or my paper will sue your department and this hospital." Rich told the officer, a smug smile on his face, while flashing his newspaper identification.

Sergeant Morris looked at Rick's identification, taking note of the name and matching the picture with the person standing before him. Sergeant Morris smiled, it was always much easier when the criminal provided him positive identification of who he was, because it made it easier to arrest the right person. So Morris thanked Rick for identifying himself, searched him, then handcuffed him, and took him to the hospital detention center.

After their conversation with Sergeant Morris was over and they did as he suggested, Leonard was quietly talking to Penny, in their room again, and although Penny was much more relaxed than when the police officer first walked in, he could see that she was still a little tense. He had hoped that when she had talked to him, the night before, about her ordeal, the conversation would have helped to fix her emotionally, but now he thought he was deceiving himself, and she needed professional counseling. Her reaction to the sight of the officer had been extreme, it had actually scared Leonard, he knew she would have some serious mental scaring if she didn't get help. So he just sat with her and talked with her, trying to relax her more, until he could talk to Amy or Dr Rogers again, because they were the only people right now, that he knew, who could offer advice.

Rick complained the whole way to the hospital detention center, about freedom of the press, and how they were making a big mistake. Sergeant Morris smiled the whole way, which made Rick even angrier, because this man actually thought because he was a reporter he could break state laws. Once Rick was locked in the detention room, he yelled and pounded on the door, while waiting for the jail van, completely oblivious to the fact that Kelly, who had been at the police station, almost two hours now, was now signing a confession for detectives, implementing Rick Robinson as the requester and receiver of illegally obtained confidential patient information, a violation of state law. Smug, I'm going to make a name for myself Rick, had no idea his career was now over and his next assignment was going to be washing dishes at the state prison cafeteria, as an inmate.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Michael Hofstadter's morning was not as exciting as Leonard's and Penny's, he wouldn't even find out what happened to them till later that night. He had left Bernadette's and Howard's apartment early and had been sitting at a desk of his friend, Daniel Morris', law firm working all morning, he still had a lot work to do before he left this weekend. With the help of a legal aid, Michael had researched a lot of information about Todd Stewart and the people who worked with him, so now he was ready to make a few phone calls.

Last night Michael had watched the news, for a short time, while Dawn was getting ready for bed, and saw that Todd Stewart was leaving the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Todd was much better now, he had made a remarkable recovery, and the news said he just needed a month at home to rest, then he would be back to acting like nothing happened. Celebrities, like Todd would always gave press releases to their fans, as they left the hospital, to let them know they were fine. That gave Michael an idea, Penny's reputation was ruined by the press, and Todd's team did nothing to help. Michael decided it was time for the truth to start coming out.

"Mr Jordan, there is a call for you, from a man who says he is the lawyer for that girl, that Mr Stewart was in the accident with. He said you need to talk to him before his client makes a statement to the press. He said that you and your client may not like the press release and it may impact Todd's career." Max Jordan's secretary told him.

Max was about to tell his secretary to take a message, until she told him the man was going to ruin Todd Stewart's career. Todd Stewart, was a lot of money to Max, so ruining his career was a big deal, he just couldn't ignore that. Max reluctantly pushed the blinking light on his phone and prepared for the worst.

"Mr Jordan, sorry to bother you, but I am Dr Michael Hofstadter, legal council for Penelope, and I need to set up a meeting with you and your lawyer to discuss this situation, with Todd Stewart." Michael told Max

"Well Dr Hofstadter, my secretary will set up an appointment with you next month and we can talk." Max responded smugly, thinking why is a lawyer a doctor.

"Mr Jordan, you don't understand, tomorrow afternoon, my client will tell the press that Todd Stewart was legally drunk when he had that accident and, therefore, could have avoided it, if he wasn't drunk. I'm sorry to say that this will probably have a lot of repercussions, do you really want that to happen to your client?" Michael asked, in the most condescending voice he could muster.

Max was now worried, he knew that Todd was drunk, the doctor told him, and he knew that kind of press would be bad. "Dr Hofstadter, I need to talk to my lawyer, could I get back to you?" Max asked.

Michael smiled, "Yes Mr Jordan, but I promise you we will have the press conference tomorrow afternoon, if we don't have that meeting before that. Do you understand?" Michael told Max, in a very serious voice, Michael was tired of playing with this guy.

"Yes Dr Hofstadter, we will call you before then, Thank You, Good bye." Max said then hung up, he needed to contact his lawyer immediately.

Charles Dugan, was a partner is his law firm and always took Max Jordan's phone calls immediately, Max was a good client, who's talent agency paid promptly. "Hi Max what can I do for you." Charley asked Max, who immediately told his lawyer everything that was said with Dr Hofstadter.

Charley was also surprised that a lawyer was a doctor, but asked Max to wait a minute, while he typed Dr Hofstadter's name into the lawyer directory, on his computer, to see who they were dealing with. Charley stared at the computer information, "Shit!", he said to no one.

"What is wrong Charley?" Max asked, as he heard Charley over the phone.

"Max, what is going on? This Dr Hofstadter is a high powered legal expert, a Law Professor at Harvard and has argued, and won, a case before the Supreme Court. What did Todd get himself into and who is this Penelope?" Charley asked Max

"I don't know Charley. Crap! What do we do?" Max asked Charley.

'We meet with him or he destroys Todd. What do you want to do?" Charley asked Max.

"Meet with him, of course, how about 10 AM tomorrow, at your office?" Max asked Charley.

"Okay, I will call him. You or Todd don't talk to him, unless it is through me. Understand?" Charley told Max.

"Okay, I understand. After it is set, have your secretary confirm the appointment with mine. Thanks Charley, see you tomorrow." Max told Charley, then hung up.

Charley hung up after telling Max goodbye, took a breathe, then dialed Dr Hofstader's number. "Hello Dr Hofstadter, I hope." Charley asked, when someone said 'Hello', then told why he was calling.

"Dr Hofstadter are your threatening my client, with this silly story about him being drunk and driving." Charley told Michael, a little arrogance in his voice. Charley had to see who he was dealing with, so he was trying to intimidate this east coast lawyer.

Michael already didn't like this guy, "Mr Dugan, I am a lawyer, I never threaten anyone. Here is what is going to happen tomorrow afternoon. Penelope, my client, will call a press conference and will tell the press that she was hurt when your client, Todd Stewart, was speeding and driving drunk, in his sports car. She will tell them that a normal person would have been able to stop in time, but Todd's drunk mind and excessive speed resulted the crash and her being hurt. Then she will ask if there is a law against what Todd did to her. That is what is going to happen tomorrow afternoon. I contacted you, so I could be available if you wanted to discuss this before it happened. That is it, Mr Dugan, please give me an answer now, I am very busy putting together paperwork on some lawsuits I am working on." Michael told Charley, very curtly.

Charley's mouth went dry, this guy was a shark and he was going to devour them all, he thought. "Yes Dr Hofstadter, we would definitely like to talk to you about this, Would 10 AM, at my offices be early enough to discuss this, before the press conference?" Charley asked.

"Yes Mr Dugan, that would be fine, I will see you tomorrow." Michael said then hung up, not even saying goodbye.

Charley sat at his desk for a few minutes, thinking, this Dr Hofstadter was definitely a shark and he smelled blood in the water. All Charley could do is hear him out tomorrow and see what he wanted, he hoped he didn't want too much.

Penny and Leonard were eating a late lunch when Sgt Morris came in their room to tell them the situation was now over and not to worry. Leonard didn't really realize he had been tense about the situation, the whole time, until he felt the wave of relief, when Morris told him it was over. He now knew Penny was tense about it too, because he could feel the sudden change in her grip on his hand, when Morris gave them the good news. Everything that was happening now seemed to put their lives on temporary hold, turning their lives into a series of climatic events then periods of relief or worry between each event. Leonard knew they couldn't take this much stress continuously, it would do them in. This hospital was a source of stress for them, so they needed to eliminate it and get out of there as soon as possible.

After all the lunch trays had been removed and the room put back in order, Leonard asked Penny if she would like to walk around for a while and even go to the balcony to get some fresh air. Leonard was ready to explain to her why he wanted her to exercise, but Penny seemed to be reading his mind, because she seemed enthusiastic at his suggestion. Penny even told Leonard to let her do everything and not help her unless she was in danger of getting hurt, to which he agreed. Penny wanted to leave the hospital, as soon as possible, too.

Penny and Leonard were sitting in chairs on the open balcony getting a little sun and talking when Dr Rogers found them. They told him how Penny had been out of bed for two hours and walked around for one of them with no help from Leonard. Rogers could tell from the way they both told him the news, that Penny leaving was desired by both of him and he could see Penny was desperate to leave. He was a doctor and he lived by the saying 'To do no harm' so he smiled at them as he made his decision.

"Penny are you ready to go home." Rogers said, seeing Dr Hofstadter immediately smile.

"Yes Dr Rogers, I would like that a lot." Penny answered, smiling.

"Ok, you are eating solid food and going to the bathroom on your own, so there is nothing more we can do for you here now, so I will have your paperwork done in an hour." Rogers told them and then stood up to leave, when Michael and Dawn showed up on the balcony.

Dawn had a bag of clothes for Penny, like Leonard had asked her to bring, and both of them seemed happy to see Penny out and about. Michael took Dr Rogers aside to talk to him for a few minutes, while Dawn talked to Penny and Leonard.

"Dr Rogers, I need to know positively, for the court, that the baby is Leonard's. We all know it is, but the court won't take our word on it unless we have proof. Can you help?" Michael asked him.

"Well they took a little amniotic fluid from Penny when she came in from the jail, during the surgery, to make sure the baby was okay, so all I need is some of the other Dr Hofstadter's blood to verify it. You also know, we know the sex of the baby now because of the DNA in the fluid." Rogers told Michael, who looked at him while he is thinking.

Michael had never thought of that, he was a little stunned, "I don't know if they want to know and I know I don't want to know if they don't." Michael said quietly, "Could you put it in a sealed envelope, then I can give to them, so they can decide if they want to know?" Michael asked him and Rogers nodded.

"I'll send a nurse to take some of Dr Hofstadter's blood and I will get Penelope's discharge papers done, so she can leave." Rogers said to Michael.

"One other thing, she has a court case Thursday. Can that blood work be done by then and will she be able to attend court or can you give me something that says she can't" Michael asked, he knew he was asking a lot of this man.

Rogers smiled, "The blood work will be done by then, I'll make sure and if you want I can be at the court to tell the judge she is too hurt to come. Just let me know when you need me at Penelope's court date." Rogers told him, then turned to leave.

"Penny, her name is Penny, to all her friends." Michael told Rogers, who smiled and nodded.

Michael walked back to Penny and Leonard, telling them that Rogers was getting her discharge paperwork ready and she should get dressed to leave. Penny got up, by herself, and headed back to her room, she seemed now to have more energy than before. Just when they entered her room, Penny looked at Leonard, a huge smile on her face, "Home." was all she said, and Leonard smiled back at her nodding.


	70. Chapter 70

**SORRY, THIS IS A VERY SHORT CHAPTER. **

Chapter 70

Penny went through the clothes, Dawn brought for her, and picked out something that she would be comfortable in, on the way home. Then she went to take a shower and Leonard sat outside the shower, in case she needed him for anything, which she did, he ended up washing her back because she couldn't twist her body. Penny finished her shower and Leonard helped dry her, not because she couldn't do it herself, she liked his touch and as he dried her with the towel, it felt comforting to her. After she was dry and Leonard rewarded with a kiss, she got dressed in her pink sweat suit, Dawn had brought and came out of the bathroom with Leonard.

Penny was surprised when the nurse came into her room to take blood, she didn't like needles any more than Leonard did, she just hid her fear better than him, but if she needed to give blood, to get out of the hospital, they could take all they needed. However, she couldn't help but giggle at Leonard's expression, when he found out the nurse wanted blood from him, not Penny. She just wanted to hug him, when he looked helplessly at her, his eyes begging for her to save him.

Michael watched Penny and Leonard, almost laughing himself, Leonard hated needles all his life and while it was funny, he really felt sorry for him. "Brother, they need to get blood so they can positively verify Penny's baby is yours. I need the results for Penny's court case Thursday. It will help her to get out of legal mess that has happened." Michael told him, seeing his expression change immediately and a determined look take over his face.

"Okay, just take all you need." Leonard said, as he turned his eyes away from the needle and offered his arm, he knew he wanted to do it, to help Penny, but he didn't have to watch it.

Penny was so proud of Leonard, she watched him stick out his bare arm, for the needle, as soon as he heard it was for her. He was always showing her how he would do anything for her, he was the best, things like this always confirmed he was the only man for her. After the nurse left with his blood, Penny pulled him gently to her, with her good arm, and kissed the bandage on his arm, then kissed him, she loved him so much.

Michael watched everything going on around him while standing to the side, holding his wife's hand. This was his family, he was involved in their lives, there was drama, anguish, pain, heart ache and love, so much love, he had never experienced it like this, he never knew what he was missing. It had actually brought him and Dawn closer, if that was possible, he needed to hold his wife's hand now, watching Penny and Leonard hold hands was addicting and he knew his wife wanted to hold his more, too. He knew his relationship with Leonard would never be the same again, they were now closer, and it felt so good. Michael also discovered something else, being around Penny had confirmed something that had crossed his mind, when he first got to know his father's waitress girlfriend, all the women, that the Hofstadter men loved, were all similar in a way. They came from different backgrounds, education and even looked completely different, but they all loved unconditionally, everyone of them loved their Hofstadter man with all their heart. Penny was like that with Leonard, Dawn was like that with him, and his dad's girlfriend was like that with him, it was now so obvious to Michael. Michael knew Dawn and Penny would become good friends and if his dad married his girlfriend, she would become good friends with Dawn and Penny, they were all the same when it came to how they loved. He figured that it had to do with the cold analytical mother and wife, in the case of his dad, they had, they all picked girls who knew what love was and could express it. His sister was the same way, the man she married was very loving and adored her and their kids. He smiled to himself, his mother had almost destroyed their family and now him and Leonard were going to save it, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and make it a family again.

After Penny had let Leonard go, Michael walked over to him and patted him on the back, "Wow, Leonard, I have never seen you take a needle like that before. You really have changed, they still freak me out." Michael said to him, smiling ear to ear.

Leonard looked at his brother, then whispered so the girls couldn't hear, "You don't know how close I came to passing out." he told him, and Michael kept smiling as he nodded.

Penny completed the rest of her getting ready routine and she insisted on doing everything for herself, which made it take longer, but no one minded, they were all happy she was feeling better. No sooner than Penny had finished, the nurse came in, with her discharge papers, a wheelchair and an envelope for Michael, which Penny, Leonard and Dawn all noticed, but didn't say anything. Penny couldn't help the smile she had, that formed from ear-to-ear, as she was rolled through the hospital, to the front door. Michael had brought his rental car to the front door of the hospital, and the nurse rolled Penny up to the back door before Penny was allowed to stand up again. Penny eased herself into the car, with Leonard's help, and got herself comfortable in the seat, as Leonard closed her door. Then Leonard went around the car and got in next to her, in the back seat, and carefully put the seatbelt on her. No sooner than they were all settled and strapped in, Dawn asked her husband the question they all were wondering, when the nurse gave him the envelope.

"Michael, what is in the envelope the nurse gave you?" Dawn asked her husband.

Michael sat there a second, then took the envelope out of his suit jacket, turned around in his seat and handed the envelope to Penny. "It has the sex of your baby in it." he said simply to his brother and future sister-in-law, hearing a little gasp from Dawn.

Leonard and Penny just looked at the envelope in Penny's hand, unable to say or do anything. They had been calling the baby a girl, but deep down inside they weren't sure and it was really an it, until they knew for sure. Penny turned her face to look at Leonard and he could see it in her eyes, she wanted to know, her eyes were pleading with him. She wanted to know so bad, Penny was never good with secrets or surprises, but she wouldn't open the envelope without his approval, and he couldn't deny her anything, so he just nodded. Leonard was amazed how Penny ripped the envelope open, with only one good arm, and pulled out the piece of paper so her and Leonard could see it.

Dawn watched Leonard and Penny, the suspense was killing her, she wanted to know, almost as badly as them. Penny had torn the envelope open and now her and Leonard saw the piece of paper, with their babies sex, both of them had tears falling down their cheeks. Suddenly, Penny gave the paper, in the envelope, to Dawn and pulled Leonard into her arms, she was crying and telling him over and over that she loved him. Leonard was holding her gently and telling her she was amazing and he loved her so much. Dawn already had tears in her eyes, she turned the piece of paper over so her and Michael could both see it at the same time, it had only one word on it, 'GIRL'.


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The ride back to Howard and Bernadette's apartment was relatively quiet. Dawn could hear Leonard and Penny talking off and on very quietly to each other, but she didn't try to eavesdrop on them because she knew they were talking intimately with each other, their words only for each other. Her eyes were still wet and when she looked at Michael, driving, she could tell he was a little emotional too. She had become so close to Leonard and Penny in such a short time, she had been through part of their emotional rollercoaster, with them, since she arrived Saturday, and she knew so much about them. She knew Michael was happy, he was working his ass off to get all the legal stuff done for Penny, but he was happy being around his brother and soon to be sister-in-law, this also made Dawn happy.

Penny, Leonard, Dawn and Michael arrived at the apartment at about 4 PM and then got Penny and her stuff settled back in the spare bedroom. Penny got her pajamas on and decided to take a little nap, Leonard never leaving her side, they were both asleep within minutes of laying their heads down, the events of the day having drained most of the energy out of them.

Dawn and Michael, sat on the couch and turned on the TV, to a news channel, the sound hardly up at all. There was a short news story how the Hollywood actor Todd Stewart would be leaving the hospital tomorrow and how he was going to be fine, after he rested up for about a month. Michael had seen the same news story this morning, before he called Max Jordan, and this story had nothing more in it to interest him. They really didn't want to watch TV anyway, they just wanted to talk, but before they started talking, Dawn kissed Michael which ended up in them necking for over an half hour. Their necking would have ended in love making, if they had been in a bedroom, so they slowly got control of themselves and sat there breathless for a few moments before either of them could speak.

"Michael, these last few days have been wonderful, not because Penny was hurt or in trouble, but because everything is turning out good again and everyone here is wonderful." Dawn stopped talking for a couple seconds, deep in thought, "I'm not saying this right, do you know what I mean?" Dawn told him, a worried expression on her face.

Michael smiled, "I understand you entirely. I feel the same way, it is like I have a family again, it is sort of amazing, and I love it." he told his wife, smiling.

"You told me so much about Leonard, but I didn't really get to know him at the wedding, and now that I know him, he is one of the most gentle, loving men, I have ever know, next to you. Penny is so wonderful and so good for him and him for her, I know we are going to get along so well together, after she gets better." Dawn told him, smiling.

"What do think of my dad's girlfriend?" Michael asked Dawn, surprising her with the question.

Dawn got quiet and looked at her hands, "Michael, I don't want to hurt you, I care for your mother, but your dad's girlfriend is really sweet and I think she is good for him." Dawn said, looking at him with sad eyes.

Michael kissed her and smiled, "I agree." he told her and saw her eyes light up.

The door to the apartment opened the next minute and Howard and Bernadette came in smiling at Dawn and Michael. "How is Penny?" Bernadette immediately asked, her and Howard had decided to go to the hospital to see her as soon as they had dinner.

"Don't talk too loud, she is asleep." Michael said softly while pointing to the closed guestroom door.

Bernadette had to do everything she could do to not squeal in happiness. She walked up to Dawn and Michael and whispered to them. "When did she get back. How is she doing. How long has she been asleep." she asked obviously very excited.

Michael chuckled a little, as Dawn answered all of Bernadette's questions, which made Bernadette even happier. Bernadette decided to tell all the gang to come over, because they all had been texting all day, about Penny, and going to see her tonight. They would have carryout and just visit tonight, as long as Penny wanted. Bernadette contacted everyone of their group and they all wanted to come by to see Penny and just visit, it was turning into a little party and everyone was getting excited. Howard even invited Alex to stop by, because she asked him earlier if it would be okay to drop Leonard's papers and work laptop by the hospital. Everyone was coming around 7 PM and Howard got a Chinese order in, to the Sheldon approved restaurant, for a 6:50 PM pickup.

Leonard had only slept for a little over an hour and was now just laying there watching Penny, mesmerized by this woman he loved, and had his baby in her. He wanted to touch her tummy so badly, but he didn't move a muscle, afraid to do anything that would wake her up. It was almost 6:15 PM when she finally started to stir and a few minutes later she was awake.

"Hello beautiful." Leonard told her, after her eyes were open.

Penny turned her head towards him and smiled. "You are such a liar. I look like a train wreck. But sweetie, I appreciate your delusion." she said, teasing him and giggling.

Leonard smiled, "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

Penny thought about it then turned to him, "Hungry." she said, smiling.

Bernadette was the first to see Penny and Leonard came out of the bedroom, a little before 6:30 PM, both smiling and happy. "Penny!" Bernadette squealed as she ran over to give her a gentle hug. "How are you feeling? You are not in pain, are you? Do you need anything? Do you want to sit? Are you thirsty? Are you hungry?" Bernadette seemed to say all at once.

Penny smiled, Bernadette was adorable, she loved mothering people. "I really feel pretty good, the worst part is my ribs, if I move wrong they hurt, but my head seems okay now and my arm doesn't really hurt, it is just useless." Penny told her, while she barely wiggled her fingers on her hand of her bad arm, that was in a sling right then.

Bernadette told Penny about everyone coming over and Penny was actually excited about seeing everyone again. The thought of Chinese food also made her even more hungry and she told Howard to pick up some extra dumplings for her, before he went to get Raj and then the food. Penny then grabbed Bernadette, after Howard left, to help her fix her hair, so she didn't look like she just got out of bed, when everyone came.

Leonard, Michael and Dawn were suddenly left alone in the living room. "She seems really happy and doing really good now." Dawn said to Leonard.

Leonard smiled. "Yeah she is. I don't know how I can ever thank you guys enough." Leonard said seriously to them.

"We have to do this thing on Thursday to get all the legal stuff over, but I really think it will go as smoothly as it did Monday and then she will be done with the legal system." Michael told Leonard.

Leonard got a worried expression on his face. "You don't think there is any way she could go back to jail, do you?" Leonard asked his brother, and Dawn looked at her husband to see what he was going to say.

Michael looked at his brother and thought, "Leonard legally she did nothing wrong, but to be honest, I can't believe they locked her up in the first place. I don't know Leonard, I don't want to promise you everything will go perfect Thursday, nothing is a sure thing and there is always a chance something will happen, we don't want to happen." Michael said, then he looked directly at Leonard, "However, if you and her took drive Thursday morning, while I go to court, then if something did happen and the judge wanted to know where you where, I wouldn't honestly know." Michael said to him, getting a nod from Leonard. "Then if someone told you what happened in the court, so you could come back or disappear, they probably wouldn't be able to find you." Michael said while looking at Dawn, who just nodded. This was the first time Michael played around with the truth, it was strange for him, but this was his brother, so he had no regrets.

An hour later, everyone was at Bernadette's and Howard's, eating Chinese food, talking and just having fun, Alex was even there, eating and sitting next to Raj, talking with everyone, enjoying herself. Penny's appetite was now fully back, it seems being safe, comfortable, with her friends and being close to Leonard, had a lot to do with her desire to eat. Penny was really enjoying herself, laughing and teasing everyone, and after she ate all her food, she stole some of Leonard's, telling him that what he gets for getting her pregnant. She was, of course, the center of attention all night and this time even Sheldon, treated Penny as the most important person in the room, which made Amy proud of him. The news that their baby was going to be a girl, had all the girls squealing like teenagers, hugging Penny as delicately as they could.

In the middle of all this, Leonard found a few minutes to be alone with Amy, so they could talk, and he told her everything that happened with Penny and how he thought she still had some emotional baggage. Amy asked him a couple of questions, then thought for a few minutes, she was an expert on the biology of the brain, she was not an expert on mental health, but she did know some mental health experts. Amy finally smiled and told Leonard, she knew the perfect person and she would contact them and then make arrangements for Penny to get some help.

The little impromptu party was enjoyed by everyone, so it was no surprise that 10 PM rolled around quickly, and everyone reluctantly got up to leave, it was late, past Sheldon's scheduled bedtime, but no one complained, not even Sheldon. However it took almost 10 minutes for everyone to leave, with all the goodbye hugs and kisses going around, Penny's ribs were even a little sore from all the hugs, but she really didn't care, she had fun and was happy. Finally everyone left, Amy taking Sheldon home and Alex taking a slightly drunk Raj home, much to his delight, and then the three couples were left alone in the apartment.

"Well we need to go to Penny's apartment and get some sleep. Again, thanks for letting us stay there, Penny." Michael said to everyone.

"Or you can stay here, the couch folds out to a bed." Howard said.

Michael looked at Dawn, who nodded with a pleading look in her eyes. "If we stay here, I could take care of Penny, if Leonard needs to go out for something." Dawn rationalized. She didn't care about the lack of privacy, these people were like family and she felt comfortable and safe around them. Tomorrow, Michael would be working and she wanted to spend the day with Leonard and Penny.

Penny could see Dawn wanted to stay, "That would be great, I'd love you to stay." Penny added.

Michael smiled, "I guess that's the plan, thank you for offering." Michael told Howard, not seeing Penny and Dawn exchange smiles between them. Bernadette already had left to get bedding for the couch, she knew Dawn wouldn't want to leave, her and Penny were quickly becoming friends.

Penny got ready for bed, with Leonard helping her, she could do most everything herself, but she loved Leonard taking care of her, his gentle hands touching her body, his being so close and intimate, and the little kisses he gave her while he helped her. Leonard had gathered up some extra pillows and put them in places that would cushion Penny, if she moved around and then he helped her into a position in the bed, that was most comfortable for her. He then gave her one of the weak pain pills, the doctors said wouldn't hurt the baby, and some water, to help her sleep. She watched him as he got in bed and tried to position himself as close to her as possible without causing her discomfort, and then reached over to take her waiting hand. However, she was selfish, so she gently tugged on him, because she needed his kisses to sleep, she was now and would always be addicted to him, Leonard was hers. He gently leaned over her and put his lips to hers, after everything that has happened to her, she wanted him to know her passion for him, so she decided to show him through her kisses. It was a half hour later before Penny released him and was able to go to sleep, her hand tightly holding his.

Michael and Dawn lay on the sofa bed awake, Dawn in Michael's arms, her back to him, something they both were thinking about was keeping them awake. Dawn and Michael had talked about children ever since they got married a couple of years ago, Dawn had even gone off birth control six months ago, Michael using condoms in substitute. The problem was they never tried, they never decided to try, they always seemed to find excuses not to try. Now with being around Penny and going through the emotion of finding out she was having a girl, having their own baby was foremost in their minds. Neither of them, however, knew how to bring up the subject with the other, they were afraid the other one would find another excuse. It was really awkward right now between them, they loved each other deeply, and the last few days, those special kisses, made them want each other badly, but both of them wanted their love making to serve a purpose, now.

It looked like Michael and Dawn would lay there until fatigue finally made them sleep, however, Dawn had an itch on her buttock and when she itched it she touched Michael. Touching Michael, the man she loved with all her heart, sent shivers through her, she needed him, so she turned in his arms, so she could see his face. Once facing him she had to kiss him and their kiss was even more passionate than the elevator kiss, just a day ago. Eventually their lips separated and they laid there looking at each other, it was in that moment they knew they wanted the same thing and both of them smiled at each other. They kissed again as both of their hands gently traveled over each others bodies, removing sleep clothes and preparing each other for the next step. This was not sex, this was love making, their love of each other was being focused into making their child. Every move was gentle, every caress tender and when Michael planted his seed in Dawn, the moment made Dawn gasp, she had never felt that way before. They fell asleep a little later, wrapped tightly in each others arms, both content and happy, Dawn feeling like she had a warm glow inside her.


	72. Chapter 72

**I AM NOT A LAWYER NOR DO I KNOW CALIFORNIA LAW, SO I HAVE TAKEN A LITTLE LITERARY LICENSE WITH THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS**

Chapter 72

Morning came too early for Michael and Dawn, but Michael convinced Dawn to stay in bed, after Howard and Bernadette left for work, because he had a busy day, and Penny and Leonard would probably sleep late too. Dawn listened to her husband get ready for his day, his routine a comfort to her, and she was still feeling the afterglow of what they did last night. She had actually started to dose off, when he quickly kissed her to leave and then patted her tummy, for luck, which made her grab his neck and pull him down for a real kiss, one for him to remember his whole day.

Michael worked for about an hour at Daniel Morris' law firm, then headed to Charles Dugan's firm for the meeting. Daniel had spent the morning studying up on California drunken driving laws, he already knew the laws in general, but he was interested in the details and case law. Now that he driving to the meeting, he felt confident, Penny was now going to get something positive in her life today, Michael was going to make sure of it.

Once Michael arrived he was brought into a small conference room and he was introduced to Mr Dugan and Mr Jordan. Michael was surprised how much Max Jordan fit the typical stereotype of a Hollywood agent, and Dugan was a lawyer Michael liked to call a 'player'. Michael was a scholar of the law and he considered the law as the Holy Grail of man's freedom, case law further defined the law and explained it, however, a 'player' tried to work around the law, he avoided going to court, because the law was an obstacle to him, not his friend, like Michael believed. Michael looked across the table at the two men, they were waiting for the game to start, they didn't realize Michael was playing no game.

Dugan and Jordan almost jumped when Michael started talking, "Gentlemen, Penelope is my client and I am retained to represent her in any way, with no restrictions. My job is to protect her, prosecute her enemies and restore her reputation, and to that end, I am here, because you have wronged her. Your client has physically hurt her and allowed wild rumors to run unconstrained, to protect himself, while my client suffered. I need to know if you intend to correct your injuries to my client or do I need to pursue my job to prosecute my clients enemies." Michael told them, then stopped for their reply.

"You can sue us all you want Dr Hofstadter, it will take years and when it gets to court, everyone while have forgot Penelope. I am not new to this, I have plenty of clients, that have gone through similar threats by lawyers like you." Max said to Michael, smiling and thinking 'screw him and Penelope'.

Charley looked and Max, trying to will him to shut up, he could barely see in Dr Hofstadter's eyes that he was getting mad and Charley didn't know what would happen if this guy got mad. "Dr Hofstadter, what are you suggesting, to correct this…injustice." Charley asked Michael, seeing Max give him a quick glance.

Michael was a little pissed at this asshole agent, he wanted just to walk out, get Todd Stewart arrested and sue them into oblivion, but he needed to think about what was best for Penny. "Mr Dugan please explain the California drunken driving laws to Mr Jordan and the mandatory sentencing, especially the part about the drivers responsibilities for parties he injures." Michael told Charley, while staring down Max.

"Max, California law says that a drunken driver, that injures his passenger, is guilty of felony assault and there are mandatory sentences, all which are longer than the one year minimum." Charley told Max, seeing his eyes go wide.

"But he didn't cause the accident." Max told them, thinking it didn't count in this case.

"It doesn't matter, he was drunk and his passenger was hurt, he is responsible. The county will lock him up and he will go to trial, and well it will be up to a jury of his peers." Charley told Max, what else could he say, he didn't really want to try and defend Todd in this case, he didn't want to loose.

Max sat quietly for a little while, he didn't know what to do, he was never in this type of situation before and his lawyer seemed not to be helping. Todd would go to jail and his cash cow would be gone. He had made good money off of Todd last year and the next looked even better, producers wanted his look, fans liked his look, he was an up and coming star. He was still thinking when Dr Hofstadter started to put his papers back in his briefcase. "Where are you going?" Max blurted out.

"Obviously you two are not ready to discuss this, so I need to help my client with her press release." Michael told them, while he put his papers away.

"No! No, Dr Hofstadter, we are ready to discuss this. What do you want?" Max said quickly.

"Gentlemen, if it was up to me, I would see your client in jail, but my client only wants her reputation restored and to be compensated for the injury she received due to your client and your lack of action." Michael told them, staring at them like they were criminals.

"Okay, your terms are?" Charley asked, his voice now neutral.

"I have a prepared statement, I want your client to give this afternoon, in his press release. To summarize, he will state that the baby is not his, Penelope and him are only colleges, and they left the party because they thought it was seemed to be getting more intense and they were uncomfortable. He only gave her a ride because her ride had stayed a little longer and Penelope didn't want to impose, so Todd, being the gentleman he is, offered to drive her, and, again she was only a work friend, there was nothing between them. Finally, there were no drug or sex orgies going on at the party when they left." Michael told them, then handed them the actual press release. "Todd will say it, word for word, as it is written, no changes." Michael emphasized.

Max read it quickly, it fixed Penelope's reputation, like Dr Hofstadter said and it made Todd look like a gentleman, he smiled. "Dr Hofstadter we can do this." Max told him.

"And" Michael started, which made both Max and Charley immediately look at him, "You will provide my client the sum of half a million dollars, to cover her expenses and injuries." Max and Charley's eyes went wide, this was what they feared.

"Dr Hofstadter, the press statement, is acceptable to us, but you must give us a minute in private to discuss the sum of money you asked for. You understand of course." Charley asked Michael, who nodded as Max and Charley left.

"Charley, how bad is this, can we get out of this? This press release is fine, but the money, I don't want to pay it." Max told him.

"Max, he has all the cards, if his client makes that press release, all the District Attorney has to do is subpoena Todd's emergency room records and he has full proof case. Also, you know how they like to lock up actors now, this will be an easy case for him and there is mandatory jail time so no community service is going to save Todd." Charley told him. "I think I can get him to lower the amount of money he wants." Charley told Max.

"Okay get the amount lowered, and I want some guarantees that this won't come back to bite us." Max said.

Charley walked back alone into the room, Michael was waiting, "Dr Hofstadter, the press release is acceptable to my client, but the money is excessive, we were thinking more in the neighborhood of a hundred thousand." Charley told Michael.

Michael wanted to get about $100,000 for Penny to help her for a while. He knew Todd wasn't very wealthy, but he knew he could pay that without trouble, so when Dugan offered him $100,000, Michael decided to play his game, he didn't like Dugan. "Mr Dugan, cutting down my client's request, makes it seem like we are talking about auctioning cattle, instead of a young woman's life." Michael told Charley sternly, letting it sink in.

Charley was nervous, he could tell Michael was a little upset, "Dr Hofstadter, we are both lawyers her, you know I have to represent the best interest of my client, please I didn't mean to insult you. Can't we reach a compromise here." Charley tried to reason with Michael.

Michael nodded, he didn't like Dugan but he decided to give him something to save face, "Mr Dugan, I think I can talk my client down to $250,000, but that is between you an me." Michael told Charley, and saw relief in his eyes.

"That should be acceptable, I'll inform my client. Also, we were concerned about any future your client may incur and claims she may present to my client." Charley asked cautiously

Michael pulled out a signed document and gave it to Charley. "Here is a legal document that states my client will provide for your review and comment any press releases, she would want to give on this matter, up to the 7 year statue of limitations. However, realize my client wants to put this behind her, so she does not plan to give any press releases after Todd makes that prepared statement. That document also states that my client will make no statements about the amount of alcohol Todd drank that night, if she is asked questions on that matter. Mr Dugan, my client will not ask for charges to filed on Mr Stewart, either, which pretty much ends this whole situation. Also, it releases Mr Stewart from any future monetary claims." Michael summarized for Charley.

Charley read the document, and it read like Michael said it did, he then handed to Michael, "On the subject of Todd's drinking, we would like a little more restrictive document concerning that." Charley to told him.

"This is what you get, I am not restricting my client, in any way that could harm her in the future. There is always the chance that someone will leak your clients hospital records and this could explode. My client could then be required to give testimony, and I will not have her hampered to the point that she could break the law or break a contract, that is not happening. Your client doesn't deserve such loyalty, based on how he didn't care about my client the last couple of weeks." Michael told Charley, controlling himself so he didn't yell at he other lawyer.

"Can you give me another minute to talk to Mr Jordan?" Charley asked and Michael nodded.

Charley quickly found Max, "Max I forced him down to lower than half of what he wanted, $250,000 and got them to sign a non disclosure document."

Max didn't like the money amount still, but the non disclosure document would make it safer for Todd concerning the drinking. Max sighed, "Okay."

Max and Charley re-entered the room with Michael and sat down. "I think we have an agreement, Dr Hofstadter." Charley said, smiling and offering his hand, but Michael didn't take in and just sat there.

"I don't think so." Michael said, freezing Max and Charley in their seats. Michael passed a paper to Charley who took it and started to read it. "That is my client's bank account information. This agreement starts to go in effect, after the funds are transferred, then is totally in effect, after Todd makes his statement to the press." Michael told them, them passed another document to them. "This agreement, documents what I just said and serves as a contract between us. Also, it has a clause that Stewart cannot retract anything he says in the statement, otherwise this contract is nullified and my client keeps all funds provided" Michael concluded what he was saying.

"Dr Hofstadter, you can't expect us to transfer funds in a couple of hours." Max told Michael.

"Mr Jordan, I have checked, funds can easily be transferred in less than 30 minutes, if you really want them transferred. Are there any other questions, I really need to leave and help my client with her press release." Michael told them.

"Wait a minute, I thought we had an agreement!" Max told Michael, his voice a little louder.

"I have left the signed agreement with you. It is up to you now to activate in with the deposit. The ball is in your court, Mr Jordan." Michael closed his briefcase and started to the door.

"How do we know everything is okay?" Max asked Michael, now a little desperate.

Michael, stopped and passed his cards to Max and Charley. "My cell phone number is on this card. As soon as you call, I will verify the transfer and that document will take effect. After Mr Stewart's press conference, I will give Mr Dugan this document and we then will both be constraint by our agreement." Michael told them walking to the door. "Oh gentlemen, please let me know if you want to implement the agreement, by about, 1 PM, because after that time, I may not be able to stop the press release. Of course if that happens, I will gladly return your money." Michael said, then went out the door.

Max looked at Charley. "What the hell!" Max said to no one in particular, then "We have to get that money transferred." he said to Charley.

"Do you have authorization to do that?" Charley asked Max

"NO, I'm not his business manager. I need to talk to Todd." Max to Charley, sounding defeated.

"Max I can draw up a legal document for you and fax it to the hospital as soon as you get there for him to sign. Have a couple people witness it and then you can go to the bank and get the money transferred. If you tell the business manager, I can then get him up to speed, so we can get this all done in time." Charley told Max, who nodded,

"Okay Charley, I'm going to the hospital, and I'll call the business manager on the way." Max said then went out the door.

Leonard woke about 8 AM but stayed in bed, holding Penny's hand, until she woke up a little before 10 PM. They had both felt rested and hungry, so left the bedroom to find Dawn getting her first cup of coffee for the morning. Leonard and Dawn then made French toast, and Penny wolfed it down, with her juice, while they all talked, it was nice homely morning, Penny was very relaxed and happy. Now Leonard was working on his Cal Tech laptop, in the bedroom, while Penny and Dawn were watching a chick flick, talking like long lost friends. Leonard couldn't help but smile every time he heard them laugh with each other. A couple hours flew by, Leonard oblivious to the time, when Penny opened the door to tell him lunch was ready. Dawn had made some lunch and when he sat down, he actually thought Penny was glowing, she was so happy. Penny and Dawn had really bonded, and Leonard couldn't help but notice the sly little looks they gave each other while they all talked. For the first time since Michael and Dawn had arrived, Leonard thought that maybe him and Michael were going to regret getting these two women together.


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Penny was having a great day, being in control of her life again, being around friends, made her really feel good inside and she was extremely happy. Last night had been the best she had slept since the whole ordeal started, and having Leonard in a bed with her, just felt so right. She was beginning to realize how the things in her life now meant so much to her, her friends, her life how it was before jail and the accident, and Leonard, she didn't know anymore if she could exist without Leonard, he was a part of her. Penny was falling in love with Leonard's family too, she now knew Leonard's family was not his mother, it was Dawn and Michael, his sister and his father, and she so wanted to be a part of it.

Penny was now looking at Leonard, he was cleaning up after lunch, letting the girls sit and relax. Penny couldn't help staring at him, he was so cute, she had thought he was cute from the first time she saw him, when he couldn't look her in the eyes, when he talked to her. But it was also different now, she knew the man in Leonard, and he was also incredibly sexy to Penny, she loved how he smelled, he had a manly musk about him, and he gave her shivers when he touched her. Penny started to bite her bottom lip, if she wasn't so banged up she would be all over him right now, just watching him made her lust for him. She smiled to herself, Sheldon called Leonard a 'Homunculus', which Penny thought was cute, but in reality Leonard was her 'Homo Novus', he was a superior man, a man like she had never experienced before and she was never letting him go.

Penny had been talking with Dawn about Leonard and Michael all morning, while Leonard worked. The two brothers were a lot alike, Penny found out talking to Dawn, and Dawn was such a likeable person, Penny fell in love with her, she would be a great sister-in-law. Penny felt like she was Leonard's wife already, because Dawn and her both were both invested in their men and were planning their futures with them. Penny, didn't want Leonard to work anymore today, she wanted him there with her, so she decided to play around with him, tease him, to keep him there with her.

Penny gave Dawn a quick conspiratorial look, "Honey, you know you and Michael are a lot a like." she told Leonard, Leonard hearing Dawn try to muffle a giggle.

'Oh Crap', Leonard thought, he hoped this had nothing to do with foreplay. "How's that?" Leonard said cautiously

"Dawn and I were your brother and yours first college girls." Penny told him, Leonard looked confused. She was teasing him, and his perplexed expression was making her giggle, which was making Dawn giggle.

Leonard looked at them giggling at him, Penny was teasing him, and Dawn was just as guilty, okay two can play at that, "You forgot another trait of the Hofstadter men, we lie well." Leonard said, seeing their giggles stop abruptly as they took in what he said.

"You wouldn't lie about that." Penny said pouting, trying to make him confess, she knew he was lying.

"Come on, I went to college for almost eight years, you think some girl wouldn't have wanted a piece of this." Leonard said, strutting while pointing to himself. "And Michael is tall and handsome, I bet he had plenty of girls." Leonard added, seeing the doubt now form on Dawn's face. He got up to get a drink from the fridge, so his back was to them, he didn't want them to see the smirk on his face,

Penny sat there, a sad expression forming on her face, "But you told me, I was your first…..and only college girl." Penny said to him, her eyes were getting wet, then a tear fell down her cheek.

Leonard stared at Penny, 'Crap', he screwed up, he shouldn't have tried to tease her with something that was important to her, especially not now, she was getting better. Leonard quickly walked back to her and got on his knees, in front of her, taking her hand, "I'm sorry honey, I was just kidding with you, you are my first college girl and my last." Leonard told her, as sincere as he could looking into her eyes.

Penny's sad expression changed before his eyes, into a wicked grin, she then looked at Dawn, who was now as puzzled as Leonard, "Maybe I shouldn't give up acting so soon after all." she said, giggling, which made Dawn start laughing and Leonard give her one of those 'Oh, I'm so going to get even" looks, before he started laughing too.

Leonard laughed, because she had been kidding and because she was feeling well enough now to tease him again. He had been so worried about her, seeing her acting her normal self, was a huge relief to him and that made him happy, so he laughed. However, while he laughed with her, he was looking in her eyes, and those eyes said 'I want you', so it came to no surprise that she leaned over to kiss him, he met her half way. After they separated, they just looked at each other and giggled again, making Dawn start to giggle too, which ended with them all laughing again, they were all too tickled and just looking at each other, made them laugh.

It took a little while but eventually they all settled down, Penny and Dawn then put together a grocery list, for dinner, and sent Leonard out to buy everything on the list. Penny decided she was going to make a pot roast, and she decided, Dawn was going to help her. Leonard was back in record time and then Penny supervised the both of them and got the roast in the oven, with just enough time to have it ready for dinner that night. She was proud of herself, this was her first time making a pot roast, from what Bernadette showed her, and she hoped it came out all right.

Michael got the call at 12:57 PM, it was from Mr Dugan, the money had been transferred and Todd would give a press release at 3:30 PM, which included the part about Penny. Michael asked him to wait a second, so he could look at Penny's account, online, and there was a wire transfer of $250,000 to her account. Michael thanked Dugan, and told him he would come back this afternoon to watch the press release with him and finish the rest of their contract. Dugan was very polite to Michael and Michael smiled when he hung up, the second domino fell in Michael's plan.

No sooner than the pot roast was in the oven and the three of them sat down for a minute, Dawn's phone rang, it was Michael. Dawn talked to Michael on the phone for about 20 minutes, she repeatedly said, 'really?' and 'that's great!' to him, which made Leonard and Penny curious. Dawn finally hung up with her husband, then she turned to Leonard and Penny smiling, she loved it when she got to give people great news. "Penny where is your laptop?" Dawn asked a very mystified Penny.

After they found Penny's laptop, Dawn had her go to her online access for her bank account, which really baffled Penny. Leonard was sitting on Penny's left side and Dawn on her right as they all sat on the couch, Penny typing her account number and password into the laptop. Penny had just gotten into her account when she gasped and grabbed Leonard's hand, bouncing their hands up and down off of Leonard's leg. Oh my God! Oh my God!" Penny kept saying, her eyes wide and staring at the screen.

Penny couldn't believe what she was seeing, there was over $250,000 in her account. "My God, Leonard look at this, look at all the money." Penny exclaimed.

Dawn knew what she was going to see, but Leonard didn't, he looked at the screen several times, trying to understand what he was seeing, he even counted the zeros. Finally he was able to believe what he was seeing, and he turned to Penny, a big smile forming on his face. "Well, there appears to be no hurry for you to get another job, right now." he said to her smiling.

Penny looked and Dawn, disbelief in her eyes, "Did I win something? Where did this money come from?" she asked, not really knowing what to say. Leonard looked at Dawn too.

Dawn smiled, "Michael, got an out-of-court settlement from Todd Stewart, to cover pain and suffering. Michael also said we should watch TV about 3:30 PM, Todd Stewart, was going to make a statement, that may be of interest to you." Dawn told Penny, Leonard listening to her every word.

"Really!" Penny exclaimed, she was stunned, but she was still squeezing Leonard's hand, still excited. Dawn just smiled and nodded.

"I don't what to say." Leonard said quietly, looking at Dawn, she could see the gratitude in his eyes. Dawn didn't say anything, she just smiled to Leonard and nodded.

Penny was now really excited, she didn't have to worry for a while, she could relax, get better, relax, spend time with Leonard, relax, and even buy a new car. She couldn't take her eyes off the computer screen, not noticing how Leonard and Dawn were smiling just watching the excitement she was going through. Finally, Penny calmed down, let go of Leonard's hand and logged off her account and shut down her laptop. Penny leaned back on the couch, obviously deep in thought, a small smile forming on her face.

Leonard watched as she sat for a few minutes just staring ahead, thinking. "Penny what are you thinking about?" he asked gently, Dawn was watching her too.

Penny was lost in thought, but Leonard's voice immediately brought her back, "I want to go to school. I want to go to school full time. I have the money to do it now and I don't have to work, so I want to go to school. I want my degree." She looked at Leonard smiling. Leonard and Dawn smiled back at her.

Penny, Dawn and Leonard talked for a little while, Penny asking Dawn several times, if the money was really hers to use as she wants. Penny then talked about going to school, she was really excited about it, she couldn't think of anything more important she wanted to do, well maybe marry Leonard, so school was the second most important thing she wanted to do. Well there was also her baby, so she decided school was the third most important thing she wanted to do. 'Oh who cares' she thought, she was going to school,

it was just important.

It was 3:30 PM, Dawn, Penny and Leonard were sitting on the couch watching TV on one of the 24 hour California news channels. Michael was sitting in a conference room, in Dugan's firm, with Charley watching the same channel. Penny, Dawn and Leonard had been quietly talking, until the news said they were going to a special report, Todd Stewart was going to make a statement on his release from County Hospital. They sat there quietly until Todd was shown at the podium, he actually looked pretty good, better than her, Penny thought.

Todd, started out thanking all his fans for praying for him, then for the people around him for helping him. He thanked the doctors at the hospital and his family, and finally a list of other people. He then told everyone he was doing great and he would be working again soon, which some fans, behind the press, cheered at. Then Todd got a little serious:

"I am happy for the concern for me and appreciative, but there was an actress in the car with me, that day, who received no concern or prayers or other caring, Penelope. I sorry to say the press before me spread lies about her, then sensationalized the lies to sell their stories. I was too hurt to do anything about this till now, so I would like to set the record straight. Penelope is not my girlfriend, she is just a work colleague that I gave a ride to a party. Yes she is pregnant, but not with my baby, with the baby of Dr Leonard Hofstadter, the brilliant physicist that has been in the news lately. Penelope and Dr Hofstadter are engaged and currently planning their wedding. I'm sorry to say, Penelope likes smart men, so I never had a chance. We went to the party and saw some people, but found the party, not to our liking, so we left. I saw Penelope only have one glass of wine while she was there, then all I saw her drink was diet cokes. There was no drug or sex orgies going on there before we left about 9 PM, so I don't know what happen after. I am truly sorry Penelope got hurt in my car in the crash and am ashamed at the press for attacking a young beautiful pregnant girl, with nothing but obscene lies. Thank you everyone." Todd finished up and walked away from the podium. Some of the reporters tried to yell questions, but most of them stood their stunned, they had been reporting lies, none of it was the truth, there may be ramifications, they may loose their jobs, these questions were definitely on the minds of most of them.

Michael looked at Charley, "It is not exactly how I wrote it and I don't like the part about Penelope likes smart men so he didn't have a chance. Plus he used his own words a lot instead of mine, which wasn't part of the deal." Michael told Charley.

"He just got out the hospital, you can't expect him to memorize everything." Charley said to Michael pleading.

"I need to talk to my client in private." Michael said, and Charlie left the room.

Dawn, Penny and Leonard were still watching the press talk about Todd's speech and what he had said. The people on the news show were a little stunned too, Todd had just said everything they had been reporting for the last two weeks was a lie and the truth was they didn't have any evidence to refute him. The all jumped when Dawn's phone rang.

"Hi honey…Yes we saw it…..Oh not exactly…I'll ask her, hold on." Dawn said to Michael, she then looked at Penny. "Michael said they didn't make the statement exactly as he told them, so he needs to know if it was Okay for you." Dawn asked Penny.

Penny thought for a moment, and realized she really didn't care that much. "It's fine, I don't really care, I'm much more anxious about marrying the love of my life, so this is really just not as important." She looked at Leonard and smiled, "And I am going back to school, that is what I want to do now." Penny said, then "But I'm keeping the money." she added, giggling. Which made Dawn giggle and Leonard laugh.

Michael listened to Dawn tell him Penny's answer and he smiled about the part of her going to school. Michael then took care of the final paperwork with Dugan and left the building, he was done for the day, and just wanted to see his wife. Michael walked out to his car mentally tipping over the third domino of his plan.

Sue Reese was sitting in her office when Janice practically ran in, out of breathe, all she told Sue was to please turn on the TV, in her office. Sue and Janice then stood in front of the TV for almost an hour trying to piece all the information about Todd Stewart's press release and all of it was exactly the opposite of what Sue and Janice had put in the paperwork when they requested their subpoena. Penelope, was pregnant with a now famous scientist's baby, she was engaged and getting married, she never drank much at the party, she didn't take drugs and she left before all the bad stuff happened. They had a court case tomorrow and she looked over at Janice, who looked like she was scared to death, Sue sat there, she really didn't know what to do.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Michael came back to the apartment and as soon as he walked in, his senses were treated to the heavenly smell of pot roast, he was hungry and it smelled so good. However the scene, that presented itself, as he walked in the door, surprised him, Penny and Leonard were in each others arms slowly dancing to some soft music on the radio. As Michael watched for a second, he could see they weren't really dancing but Leonard was gently holding her, her head on his shoulder, as they both gently swayed to the music. Dawn was standing to the side, watching them and swaying also, until she saw him, and her face lit up. The next second, his wife was in his arms, and had them both gently swaying to the music too, he didn't know how to describe how it felt, the music, his wife in his arms, it was amazing.

Dawn buried herself in Michael's arms, she was happy, Leonard, Penny and her had been having a little party after they found out about the money and the press statement. Dawn had fun watching Leonard and Penny hold each other, but it also made her realized she missed Michael, watching them. It had been a while since her and Michael had danced and even though, all they were doing was swaying to the music, holding each other, she felt wonderful being in his arms. "I love you so much, honey and I am so proud of you." Dawn told her husband, who gently took her face into his hands and kissed her, it was extremely intimate!

Bernadette was the first one in the apartment door, but as soon as she saw what was happening, she stopped, making Howard bump into her. They both quietly watched the two couples, Leonard and Penny holding each other, Michael and Dawn kissing, Bernadette felt a tear in her eye and pulled Howard's arm around her, snuggling close to him. They stood there for a few moments, not wanting to disturb the scene before them, then when Michael and Dawn broke their kiss, Bernadette decided to announce their presence, "Hi guys, have a good day?" she said smiling.

Penny was the first to respond but she didn't remove her head from Leonard's shoulder, she just turned it towards them. "Hey you." she said, but everyone could see the dreamy look on her face and they knew she been having an private moment with Leonard.

"What is that great smell?" Howard said suddenly, then went to the kitchen to look.

Penny slowly composed herself, "Pot roast." Penny told Howard, now moving slowly away from Leonard towards the kitchen, but not letting go of his hand and gently pulling him along with her.

Bernadette smiled, "Coming home from a hard day of work, to dinner being ready, Penny, Howard and I would like to adopt you." Bernadette told her, giggling, which made everyone laugh.

The next two hours were extremely relaxing for everyone, they ate, talked, laughed and just enjoyed each others company. Everyone liked Penny's pot roast and kept complementing her on it, which made her extremely giddy, she was never much of a cook, and the complements really made her feel good. Half way through the meal, Michael surprised Penny when he handed her old cell phone back to her, explaining how Todd's lawyer had all the stuff found in Todd's car, after it was cleaned out and turned over to the insurance company, since it was totaled. Having her old cell phone back, actually made Penny feel better, like things were getting back to normal. They all continued to eat, everyone of them extremely hungry, and after they were done eating, the guys took over cleaning up, while the girls sat on the couch, eating pie and ice cream, watching their men.

"God, they are so adorable." Dawn whispered to Penny and Bernadette, both girls nodding.

"I know, I could just eat Howie up." Bernadette said, getting surprised looks from Penny and Dawn, before all three girls started to laugh.

Penny finally caught her breathe, she had laughed so hard, her ribs hurt, "Do you know how hard it is to be horny as hell, with the man you love only a few inches away from you in bed, and not be able to do anything." Penny said pouting.

"Oh, poor baby." Dawn and Bernadette said together, both patting her on the back, which made them all giggle.

Penny noticed Dawn get a look like she was remembering something, then a small smile formed on her face, "Dawn you had sex didn't you, and recently, I think!" Penny whispered, seeing Dawn's cheeks turn pink. Penny then looked at Bernadette who was giggling and whose cheeks were a little red too. "I hate you two." Penny said, giving them a evil look, which made them all laugh again.

"What are they laughing so much at?" Leonard asked, curious but happy the girls were having so much fun.

"Who knows, maybe their periods have synchronized up." Howard said, getting a look from Leonard, Leonard was thinking, no matter how much Howard matured, sometimes old sleazy Howard would come out to play.

"No its not that." Michael said seriously, not knowing Howard was kidding, suddenly getting looks form Howard and Leonard. "Come on, I'm married and have a license to prove it." Michael said, defensively, Howard and Leonard now laughing.

The rest of the night was just homey for everyone, they were all well fed, tired from the day and comfortable just sitting with their mates. The TV was on, but they weren't really watching, they just casually talked to each other, while they all cuddled in some way. Bernadette was sharing a recliner with Howard, half on the chair, half on Howard, as he held her. Dawn was in Michael's lap, her head on his shoulder, while he rubbed her back. Leonard was on the couch, Penny stretched out with her head and upper body on pillows in his lap, while he had his one hand in hers and the other gently running through her hair. They were all just wore out, so sitting, relaxing and talking was the most any of them wanted to do.

While they were sitting there Leonard got a text message from Sheldon, at almost the same time as Penny's phone registered one from Amy. Sheldon's message was about the 5A apartment becoming available in a month, because a certain actress, they all knew, was pregnant and was moving in with the father. It seemed from his text, Sheldon seemed to prefer Leonard and Penny move above him, then some stranger. Amy's text to Penny said the same thing except, Amy also told Penny that Sheldon agreed with Amy's logic, that she would be the best choice for a roommate, after Leonard left.

Everyone looked at Penny and Leonard as they passed their phones to each other, giggling, then each typing responses back to their friends. After they were done, they explained to their friends, Amy and Sheldon's messages, which made everyone start giggling, even Dawn and Michael, who now knew everyone well enough to understand why this event was so funny. Once Penny and Leonard, calmed down, Penny gave Leonard a look, that said, 'what do you think?'

"Penny, the bigger apartment idea is great, especially because Amy and Sheldon would be so close while you are pregnant. But, how are you going to get up 5 flights of stairs when you are 7 to 9 months pregnant?" Leonard told her, Penny hadn't thought of that, that they might have to move, she sighed and nodded to Leonard.

"Leonard, I was meaning to ask you about that, why is your elevator broken and how long has it been broken?" Michael asked.

Leonard now sighed, "I broke it about 8 years ago, with one of my experiments." Leonard confessed, while Howard nodded.

"Okay, well since it has been over 7 years, the statue of limitations is over, so nothing can be done to you, so let me talk to your leasing company Friday and see what I can do." Michael told his brother, seeing Penny's eyes light up.

"Could you really get it fixed." Penny asked Michael, excitement evident in her voice.

"I think we can get that done. Most of the time it is easier to fix something than to fight a lawsuit over it." Michael told her.

Penny smiled and looked at Leonard, who smiled and nodded. The thought of it just made her so happy, having a bigger place for her, Leonard and the baby, plus being so close to Amy and Sheldon and not moving out of the building that she thought of as home. Penny just got herself comfortably settled back in Leonard's lap, and while everyone was talking, she started to picture how she was going to decorate her new apartment.

Penny was the first causality of the night, she fell asleep in Leonard's lap soon after he started to rub her back. Dawn found it hard to keep her eyes open, snuggled against Michael, it his lap, and Bernadette started to get a case of yawning while she was snuggled next to Howard. Leonard finally suggested that they all were beat, and that it might be a good time for bed, to which he got agreement from everyone, except Penny who was already asleep.

Leonard hated to wake Penny up, but she needed to go to bed, so he got her up and on the bed, helping her change into her pajamas while she sat on the edge. After he got her settled in the bed and gave her a pain pill with water, he thought she would go immediately to sleep, but he was wrong, she laid there and stared at him as he got ready. He couldn't help glancing at her, she seemed to want to say something and when he got in bed, she turned to him, obviously causing her some pain to her ribs, which worried him.

Penny turned to her side, it hurt but she had something she wanted. "Leonard, please hold me." she asked him, she wanted his arms around her.

"Won't that hurt you?" Leonard asked, concerned that she really didn't realize what she was asking.

"If it hurts too much we can stop, but I really want to be against you and you hold me." Penny told him, her eyes pleading with him.

They spent the next few minutes adjusting pillows and Penny turned so she was laying the opposite side as her hurt rib, before Leonard moved close to her. As he but his chest against her back and brought his arms gently around her she winced a couple of times from pain, but insisted he still try to hold her. Finally they found a comfortable position, and when they both stopped moving, Penny found it bearable for her ribs. Penny now felt secure and was asleep a few minutes later, Leonard laid there a little while then fell asleep too.

That night Penny had her first nightmare, she dreamt that they were dragging her to jail while she was screaming for Leonard, who was being held by people in uniforms. Once the bars closed she was being kicked by people in her belly and the baby inside her was screaming, and Penny was begging them to stop, please stop. Penny was hurt and terrified and they were keeping Leonard from protecting her, and they were hurting their baby. She was helpless, so helpless, there was nothing she could do, it was driving her insane.

Leonard woke not because of her heavy breathing or her jerking movements, but because of the crushing grip she had on his left hand, that was in her left hand. As his mind came out the fog of sleep, due to the pain his hand was in, he felt her labored breathing and her body jerking, he knew something was really wrong. He tried to determine what to do, should he wake her up, but then she started to talk, 'Stop, please stop, Help me', and that made the decision for him, he started to gently shake her. "Penny, wake up honey, it's only a dream." he told her, while he tried to wake her up.

Penny woke with a start, one moment her world was all horror and the next she was in bed with Leonard, in his arms. In her half dazed condition, she tried to turn around so she could hug him, she was about to start crying, but when she moved quickly to him, extreme pain shot through her ribs, paralyzing her, making her gasp, because she had no breathe to scream. Leonard quickly got pillows around her, easing her onto her back, and the pain slowly started to subside, her breathing coming back to normal.

"Penny are you okay? How much pain are you in?" Leonard asked, he knew she had suffered when she moved wrong and he was really worried about her.

Penny laid there a few minutes, catching her breathe, "It's better now, I'm feeling better." she said to him.

"Penny you had a bad dream, honey. Do you want to talk about it." Leonard asked her.

Penny didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to remember it, the thought of it still scared her. "Leonard, can we talk about it tomorrow, not tonight." She pleaded with him.

"Of Course, can you sleep now. Do you feel okay?" Leonard asked her, still worried.

"I think so." she lied, but the lie seemed to work, because Leonard stopped asking her questions and just moved close to her, giving his hand to her, which she greedily took.

Penny closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, so Leonard would think she was sleeping, and after a while she felt Leonard fall back to sleep. However, Penny couldn't sleep, her mind couldn't tear itself from her nightmare, and she kept thinking about what would happen to her in court tomorrow. She wouldn't be there, so they couldn't drag her away then, but they could hunt her down and she knew Leonard couldn't help her because they would hurt him too. She felt doomed, with no way out and it made her shiver, she couldn't stop the tears in her eyes.

The alarm clock went off at 7 AM, waking Leonard up, Penny was already awake, she never fell back to sleep. Leonard shut off the alarm then laid down turning towards Penny, she was on her back, like he left last night, but her eyes were open and she was staring at the ceiling. Panic filled Leonard for a second, because she seemed motionless, however, he finally saw the slow movement of her chest up and down and relaxed.

"Penny are you okay? …. Penny….. Penny talk to me… Honey are you okay?" Leonard said to her, each time getting a little more worried, until finally she turned her head to him.

It was like she just noticed him, "Leonard?" she said like she couldn't believe it was him, "Leonard." she said again, while her left hand moved to grab his.

Leonard moved his body slowly, until he was positioned so his face was very close to hers and he stroked the side of her face and hair, he had know Penny long enough to understand when she was scared and upset. "Honey, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

"Leonard, I had a nightmare that they were taking me to jail and they hurt you and hurt our baby." she told him, tears forming in her eyes.

Leonard wondered how long she had been awake, and cursed himself for not realizing how bad off she was last night. "Penny, I won't let them take you away. We'll run away, to Nebraska if we have to, but I won't let them take you away." Leonard told her, Penny looked at him, there was now pleading in her eyes, he knew what she wanted, she wanted to run.

"Penny let's get up and get dressed. We can pack a few things and go someplace where they can't find us, until we know what happens today, okay. And I promise, if anything bad happens in court, we will leave for Nebraska, and be out of California, before the day is over. I'm not going to let them take you away from me again." Leonard told her, Penny nodded, a little relief in her eyes.

Penny and Leonard got up and got into the shower together, they were in a hurry, so Leonard quickly helped Penny wash off, then he washed off. After quickly drying, they dressed and packed most of their stuff in their bags, they weren't sure when or if they would be back anytime soon. Once packed, they left the bedroom to see Michael, Dawn, Bernadette and Howard, sitting around the kitchen table, drinking coffee, like they were waiting for them.

"You guys leaving?" Howard asked, and when no one answered, "Where are you going." he asked.

"Howard, we really don't want to know." Michael said calmly to him, and Dawn nodded.

Bernadette and Howard, then understood and got up to hug Penny and Leonard, telling them to take care and to contact them when it was okay. Michael and Dawn, hugged them too, Michael then left to the bathroom, so he didn't hear Dawn telling Leonard she would let him know when she found out anything. Penny and Leonard then left Howard's and Bernadette's apartment, their friends and family, not knowing where they would end up or when, if ever, they would return.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Leonard started driving east, he had originally thought of waiting out the day in a hotel in Pasadena, but now he wanted Penny safe, he wanted her to feel safe too. So Leonard was driving out of state, to Nevada, Penny would be sleeping in a hotel in Las Vegas tonight, where they couldn't get her. Leonard would decide what they did the next day, after he heard from Dawn, he was ready to go to Nebraska if he had to, they were not getting Penny.

Penny's case was the first item on the agenda for the court this morning, so Michael was at the front table when the judge entered the court room. The judge quickly looked at the paperwork then gave Michael an aggravated look, which expressed her displeasure at what she was seeing, this judge was the one who issued the bench warrant for Penny's arrest. Michael just stared at the judge, until he saw her become a little agitated, then looked down at his papers, waiting for her to speak.

"Consular, it appears to this court that your client, seems to think showing up here is a joke. Where is she!" the judge said, very loudly. She was pissed and wanted the lawyer to know it.

"Your honor, my pregnant client is recovering from grievous injuries she suffered, in the county jail when she was arrested and jailed because of a warrant issued from this court. She only left the Hospital on Tuesday and is recuperating currently at home, not able to attend these proceeding due to doctor's orders. I have her treating physician in the court room if you need him to testify on her condition, and I also have a signed document from him, describing her condition, which included a concussion, broken arm and broken rib, besides numerous impact injuries and cuts." Michael told the judge, who looked surprised at hearing of the injuries.

"This happened in the jail?" the judge asked, still surprised.

"Yes your honor, my PREGNANT client had the hell beat out of her, within an hour of her being locked up." Michael said, staring at the judge. 'By your bench warrant.' Michael thought.

Judge Nora Holden stared at Michael a couple of seconds, he was mad at her, she had been nasty with him a minute ago, so maybe she should let this go. "Well consular we can't do much without your client because this hearing is to determine if she is properly taking care of her baby, or subjecting her baby to harm, so we are going to have to reschedule for when she is fit to be in court." the judge said calmly to Michael.'

"Your honor, this hearing, do you do this to every pregnant woman? Do you make sure every pregnant woman comes in front of your court and explains herself on how she is taking care of her baby? My client has the right to find out why she was singled out, in violation of her civil rights to have some amount of privacy?" Michael stated, staring at the judge again.

Judge Holden, was surprised at this lawyers statement, she looked at Michael, "Consular, no we don't do this to every woman, only those that social services has found to be delinquent in the taking care of babies or children." the judge lectured him.

Michael stared right at the judge, "Your honor there is absolutely no evident that my client has done a thing to harm her baby. I'm stating to the court, for the record, that social services has nothing showing my client has done anything wrong and has even conspired to lie to this court in their illegal persecution of my client." Michael stated, staring at the judge in defiance.

Judge Holden felt a little uncomfortable, this lawyer seemed very sure of himself. She looked over at the representatives from social services, "Ladies, please provide to the court the information you found out about consul's client that determined the need for her to be subpoenaed to this court." she said, hoping this would cleared up quickly, the atmosphere in her court was getting tense.

Sue was standing next to Janice, there was nothing in the file on Penelope, except a couple news articles. "Your, honor, there were reports, by several news stations, of her using drugs, drinking and have sex with many men." Sue said.

Michael immediately jumped to Sue's comment, "You honor, is the press now judge and jury, or the authority for the county to determine if a person has done something wrong? Does a news article have any relevance in this court?" Michael quickly asked, in disgust.

"No consular. Does social services have any evidence to support the news articles they acted on." Holden asked, a little loudly now.

"No your honor." Sue said quietly.

"Well consular, I guess your client is not needed after all. There is no evidence she has done anything wrong, so this hearing is over." the judge stated, thinking good this is over.

"No your honor, there is still the matter about what happened in this court that has not been resolved, the persecution of my client and the illegal bench warrant." Michael said, his voice cold and menacing.

"Your point consular." the judge stated.

"Your honor, we've established that social services requested and got a subpoena for no real reason on my client. I would like to also show that subpoena was then not served, but social services lied to get my client punished by the court." Michael said to the judge.

"You can prove this." the judge said

"Yes your honor, if I am allowed to question the subpoena server." Michael said, while looking at Janice, she matched Sheldon's description exactly, and he could see how nervous she was.

"Alright, Janice Upton, you are still under oath in my court. Consular don't badger Ms Upton." the judge said.

"Your honor, I would like to give you this medical report from my client's car accident, 3 days before, the medical report on my client, two days after, and the jail mug shot of my client 4 days after the claimed subpoena was served." Michael stated, giving the paperwork and picture to the judge.

The picture and documents described a young pretty blonde woman, who had two black eyes and a cut on her forehead, requiring stitches, that was covered by a huge bandage. The judge completed looking over the papers and pictures, then nodded to Michael.

"Ms Upton, I have one question, describe what my client looked like when you served the subpoena." Michael asked Janice.

Janice was nervous, but she had seen the pictures of Penny on the news, which were her publicity pictures. "She is a pretty blonde actress." Janice said to the judge.

"That is all, there is nothing about her face that was unusual, obviously unusual." Michael asked Janice.

The judge looked at the picture again, Penelope looked like a raccoon, with her two black eyes, they still looked bad, 4 days after the subpoena. It was very noticeable, along with the bandage on her forehead, this woman must have noticed this. "Ms Upton, where was the bandage located on Penelope's face." the judge asked, seeing Michael give her a penetrating look, at her telling this woman there was a bandage on Penny's face.

Janice, of course, didn't know, she never saw the woman. "I don't remember." she said to the judge.

"That is because she never saw my client and never served her." Michael said to the judge. "I have a deposition from the person she did talk to, Dr Sheldon Cooper, that she asked for my client, and was told she wasn't around, then Dr Cooper suggested she put what she had, the subpoena, under the door." Michael handed the document to the judge.

"I also have several depositions and pictures, of where the Subpoena was found when my clients apartment was finally entered, while my client was in jail." Michael said, passing this paperwork to the judge.

"Finally, I have several depositions of people who were with my client every moment of the day the subpoena was supposedly served, that state my client was never near her apartment and this person was never around her." Michael then gave these documents to the judge.

"Your honor, my evidence is overwhelming, no subpoena was served by social services, and its existence was never know by my client." Michael stated, looking at Janice then the judge.

Judge Holden quickly scanned the documents, Michael provided, it all supported his claim and Ms Upton didn't seem to know what Penelope looked like that day. "Ms Upton, consular has presented me an overwhelming amount of evidence that no subpoena was served, what evidence, besides your statement, do you have that a subpoena was served?" the judge asked Janice.

Janice didn't know what to say, "I claim the fifth amendment." she said in desperation.

"Ms Upton this is not a trial and you are not defending yourself, the fifth amendment does not apply. So do you have any evidence for the court that the subpoena was served?" the judge asked Janice.

"No, your honor." Janice said quietly.

"Well, then, consular, based on the evidence you provided, and the lack of any evidence by social services, the court agrees that no subpoena was served. Your client is therefore released from any obligations to this court and the original warrant rescinded." the judge stated.

"With the court's apology." Michael said to the judge, staring at her again.

"With the court's apology, consular." the judge said, getting aggravated with Michael.

"And where is the justice for my client, she was locked up, attacked and badly hurt because of this business. What happens to social services part in this, your honor, their obvious persecution of my client with no cause and the perjury in this court." Michael said to the judge. "No bench warrants, your honor." Michael added.

"Consular, this hearing is over, your client is exonerated. We will now take a 30 minute recess. Good day consular." Judge Holden said, pounding her gavel, then she got up and left to her chambers. Judge Holden knew this whole case was a big screw up, if there ever was, and she would have to watch social services from now on, when they requested subpoenas from her office.

Michael was standing, like everyone else, when the judge left, he slowly put his papers in his briefcase, looking at the two woman from social services, he had a surprise for them in the future. As Michael walked out of court, Dawn got up from her seat and joined him as he got to the court doors to leave. Dawn had her phone out and was texting Leonard, that everything was okay, as soon as they were out the doors.

Penny and Leonard where on interstate 15 between Barstow and the California/Nevada border when Leonard got the flat tire. He had picked up a nail so the tire lost air slowly and he was able to pull safely over to the side of the road. Leonard quickly got out the spare and jack to change the tire, he had just completed jacking up the car and removing the bad tire, when he noticed the California Highway Patrol car pull up behind him with its lights flashing. Leonard slowly stood up and looked through the windows at Penny, she was looking at the police car, pure terror in her eyes.

Officer Raul Martinez had been on the force for over 10 years, and really liked his job, because he felt he was helping people. He would always pull over to check on people, broken down on the highway, and when they had flats, like this car, he would position his car to protect them, with his lights flashing to warn other drivers, while they changed their tire. Many times if it was a woman or older people, Martinez would change the tire for them, because he believed that was his job, 'To Protect and Serve'. Officer Martinez positioned his car, to protect this motorist, then got out to see if they needed any assistance.

Officer Martinez, walked up to the car driver, smiling, but as he got closer, and he saw the face of the driver, he realized the driver was not happy to see him, his sixth sense told him something was wrong. Martinez, kept his hand close to his gun, and slowed his pace to the car and its driver, the trunk was open and had bags in it and on the roadway, where the driver had removed the spare tire. The closer he approached, he could see a passenger in the car, and that passenger was staring at him, again not happy to see him.

Martinez approached Leonard, "Is everything okay sir." Martinez asked him, his eyes darting around the scene and the passenger still in the car, his hand still close to his gun.

Leonard almost didn't hear the officer, his mind was so worried about Penny, "I had a flat tire." was all Leonard said.

Martinez kept a little distance between him and Leonard, as he moved so he could see in the car. He saw nothing suspicious, except for the blonde passenger, she looked like she was beat up, beat up bad, and he immediately wondered if she was there against her will.

"Miss are you okay." he asked her, while keeping an eye on Leonard,

Penny was too terrified to talk, she couldn't help think this policeman was going to take her away, she just stared at him. She saw the officer, tell Leonard not to move, then he came around to Penny's door and asked her again if she was okay, and again she was too terrified to speak. She started crying when he opened the door and removed her from the car, again telling Leonard not to move, the officers hand now on his gun.

Leonard, didn't know what to do, the policeman was threatening him with his gun if he moved and Leonard could tell by his eyes, he would shoot him if he moved. Leonard's heart was breaking as he watched Penny being brought back to the police car, she was crying and he could see her eyes begging him to save her. Leonard was getting upset, he couldn't let them take Penny, he had to help her, he didn't even realize that he took a step towards Penny, until he found himself looking down the barrel of the officer's handgun. The officer was yelling at him to get on the ground, so Leonard got on the ground, his mind telling him he could not help Penny with a bullet in him.

Officer Martinez got the sobbing young woman into the back seat of the police car, all the time having his gun trained on Leonard. No sooner than the police car door was closed, he went over and searched Leonard, then handcuffed him. Martinez then got Leonard's driver's license from his wallet, and Penny's from her purse, still in the car. With Leonard standing handcuffed outside the car and Penny sobbing in the back seat, Officer Martinez ran their identifications through his computer, waiting to see what these two had done wrong.

Penny was sobbing her eyes out, her nightmare was coming true. Her crying was from both being terrified at what was happening, and the pain in her ribs, from when the officer had pulled her to the car. He was already hurting her, he had Leonard handcuffed so he couldn't help her and she knew he was going to take her to jail where they would beat her and kill their baby. She was doomed, there was no hope for her, her life was about to be over, Penny was becoming hysterical.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Computer technology had improved everyone's life and greatly sped up the transfer of information, so everybody had the latest information, including the police. The warrant for Penny had be removed, by the court on Monday, when the judge released her from jail and even though it sometimes took 24 hours to get it into the system, it was now over three days. When Officer Martinez looked at his computer screen, after running Leonard's identification, it came up with nothing more than a past paid speeding ticket. Penny's identification didn't have much more, a couple of paid traffic citations, but nothing else, Martinez was really puzzled so he ran their identifications again, and received nothing again.

Officer Martinez didn't know what to do, he looked at the man he had handcuffed and then at the woman who was bawling in his back seat. She was in no condition to talk, so he decided to talk to the man outside his car. Martinez got out of the car and walked up to Leonard, he hoped he could find out what was going on.

Leonard was getting more upset by the moment, being handcuffed and not being able to help Penny. He could see her in the back seat of the police car, crying, no not crying bawling, bawling her eyes out, she was terrified. This was so not fair, why did they have to keep punishing her and why was he so helpless every time they did. He had nothing but hate for the police officer, as the man got out of the car and came up to him.

"Sir, what is wrong with you and this woman. Who is she to you." Martinez asked Leonard.

"She is my fiancée. She is afraid of the police." Leonard spit out, not wanting to say too much.

Martinez didn't like his answer, why would this young woman be emotional about the police. "Sir, I think I should bring you both to the station to settle this." Martinez told Leonard.

Leonard didn't want to go to the station, he wanted Penny and he wanted to be on his way, so he used his best weapon, his brain, and thought of something. "Officer, I am Dr Leonard Hofstadter, if you get my smart phone out of the car and Google me, you will see I am currently a very famous scientist and if you check my fiancée, you will see she is wearing an engagement ring. We have done nothing wrong, why are you persecuting us?" Leonard told him.

"Sir I am not persecuting you. I just think I'll just take you to the station and let you settle it there." Martinez told him.

Leonard had enough, "You pointed your gun at me and handcuffed me. My fiancée is locked in the back of you car hurt and crying and for what, what crime have we committed? You don't like how we look? Listen, I promise you when we get to the station and you find out who I am, as soon as I am released, I will hold a press conference about how you mistreated me and my fiancée, arresting us for no reason. So help me God, I promise I will file police brutality charges against you and ruin you. You have absolutely no right to hold us, no right at all, I will tell everyone how you brutalized us" Leonard told the officer, venom coming from his mouth.

"I did nothing to hurt you or this woman. I was just doing my job." Martinez told Leonard.

"The hell you didn't, she has fractured ribs, I saw the pain you caused her when you dragged her to the car. It was pure police brutality and believe me, I will do everything in my power to make sure the only person in jail tonight is you." Leonard was practically yelling at Martinez now.

Martinez, normally wouldn't care what this man was saying, but this man seemed deadly serious and he acted like he could do what he said. Martinez went to Leonard's car and got out his smart phone, then put his name in the browser, the responses were in the hundreds of thousands, there was a picture, of this man and reference to him making a huge breakthrough in physics. 'Damm it' Martinez thought, this guy is famous, like he said, again he was telling the truth. There was also a story about how he was engaged, with the name of the woman the same as the women in the back seat of his police car. Everything this man said was true and he was famous and important enough to not be somebody to take lightly. Martinez had seen many the officer who tried exert their authority over someone with real power, and they all ended up loosing, this man could probably screw Martinez like he said. "I can't let you two go until I am sure the woman is okay." Martinez told Leonard.

"She is afraid of police, like I told you, she had a bad experience, let me calm her, then you can ask her questions." Leonard told him, Martinez nodded and went to the back seat to get Penny.

Penny was stunned to be taken out of the police car and put next to Leonard, but everything was still not right, Leonard had handcuffs on him. Penny turned to put her arms around, Leonard, as best she could and whimpered into his shoulder. She didn't hear the officer tell her not to do that and she didn't really care.

Martinez was mad, she grabbed this Dr Hofstadter, and was about to pull her off, when he saw the engagement ring on her left hand and stopped himself. Everything so far, that this man had said seemed true, and now Martinez thought he better be very careful how he treated these two. "Miss…Miss, are you okay." Martinez asked her, she was still crying.

"Penny, please talk to the officer. If you talk to him, he will let us go." Leonard softly said to her.

Penny heard, 'Let us go', and turned to the officer, tears still falling from her eyes. She nodded her head, "Okay." was all she could say.

"Miss are you with this man?" Martinez asked her, and Penny nodded.

"Is he your fiancée?" Martinez asked her.

"I love him." Penny squeaked out as she nodded.

"Who hurt you?" Martinez asked her, he thought if this man hurt her, they were going to the station, no matter what he said.

"The police." Penny answered, and Martinez eyes went wide. He looked at Leonard and saw he was staring at him with hate filled eyes.

"Oh!" was all Officer Martinez could say, it would explain why they were acting like they were. He was now so confused, he didn't have anything that they did wrong and they had an excuse for their actions, if he took them in and it was exactly like they said, this man could make his life miserable. He decided since they did nothing wrong, and both were with each other willingly, he should just let them go, so Martinez went behind Leonard and took the handcuffs off. "Sorry sir, you have to admit you both were very suspicious." Martinez offered as an apology.

Leonard looked at the policeman, it took every bit of his will to calm himself, he wanted to say something, but he wanted more to get out of the state with Penny, so he just nodded. Leonard took Penny back to the car and put her in, she didn't want to let him go, but he explained that he had to change the tire or they couldn't get out of there, so she finally let go. Leonard then changed the tire, putting everything away and got on his way, thankful to leave the police car, that sat there the whole time they were there.

Martinez had run the license plate and the identification information again on his computer, again getting nothing, so he just sat there and watched them. He still couldn't get it out of his head that something was not right about those two, but there was nothing he could do, because Dr Hofstadter was right that he could cause a lot of bad press to come down on the California Highway Patrol and him, if they detained him for nothing, and Martinez had nothing. Martinez, also wondered about how the girl said the police hurt her, he couldn't understand who could hurt her like that and it made him cringe to think another police officer did that to her. Martinez sat in his car and wrote up a contact report, explaining all that had happened, in case he was already in trouble, he was still writing as Dr Hofstadter's car drove away.

Leonard drove the next hour and a half, the car full of tension, Penny curled up in the passenger seat, still whimpering off and on. He was holding her hand, but she was in a bad mental state, he had never seen her so scared before. It was a relief when they finally crossed out of California, into Nevada, and he decided to pull into the Nevada welcome center so he could try and cheer Penny up.

Leonard eased off the interstate on to the welcome center ramp and started to decelerate, Penny noticed the change in the car movement and immediately became alert. "Why are we stopping?" Penny asked Leonard, fear in her voice.

"We're in Nevada, Honey,. We're not in California anymore, so we are safe. They can't get us anymore." Leonard told her, trying to reassure her. "We need to take a little break and use the restroom." he added.

"Okay" was all Penny said in response.

Leonard parked the car in a spot away from the other cars, then turned to Penny, he could tell she was still upset. "Honey, why don't we get out and walk around a little, to get some fresh air. We should use the restroom too, we still have a little ride to Las Vegas." he told Penny, and she just nodded.

Leonard helped Penny out of the car and walked her around a little till they got to a picnic table where they sat down. "Honey, tell me what you are thinking." Leonard asked her, he was worried, really worried.

Penny looked at him a few minutes, then finally, "I'm sorry Leonard… I can't help it…..I feel scared all the time….. I feel like I just want to dig a hole and crawl into it and hide." Penny told him, her eyes full of pain.

"We're safe now, honey. We are out of California, they can't get us." Leonard said to her.

"I want to go home." Penny told him, her voice almost pleading.

Leonard was confused for a second, did she mean Pasadena, 'No' he thought, 'Not Pasadena', "Nebraska?" Leonard asked her, and Penny nodded.

They sat there for a few minutes, until Leonard realized Penny didn't seem to want to be out in the open. Her eyes kept darting around, like someone was going to get her. So he decided they should just leave, after they used the restroom, which seemed like a good idea, until they got near the doorway of the women's restroom and Penny didn't want to leave him. Penny wanted him to go with her, and she refused to go alone, so Leonard asked the an older women who came out, if anyone else was in there, which she said no, and if she would keep people out while Leonard went in with Penny. He pointed at Penny's face and said she was seriously hurt and needed help, to which the woman agreed, after looking at Penny. They completed their restroom trip and were on the road twenty minutes later, on their way to Las Vegas.

Leonard turned his cell phone on, once they got back on the road, he hadn't wanted anybody to be able to track them, like he knew Howard could, until he felt they were safe. Dawn's text immediately showed up that everything was okay, but she wasn't with them, things were definitely not okay. Leonard, kept driving to Las Vegas, like he promised Penny, occasionally looking at her, while she stared blankly out the side window.

It had been an hour after Dawn had sent Leonard a text message, and still they had nothing back from him. Dawn and Michael were eating a late lunch, and neither of them wanted to bring up why they had not heard anything from Leonard, even though they were both worried. They both hoped Leonard and Penny were heading back now and they would see them by dinner, but until they got something back from Leonard, they just didn't know.

Leonard pulled into Las Vegas, by the late afternoon and went to the same hotel they stayed before, their previous trip. Leonard had made the reservation before they left this morning and had even requested the same room, hoping it would cheer Penny up. However, after they parked, went inside to register, and then into the elevator to the room, Penny didn't even seem to notice and never said more than a couple words.

Penny and Leonard walked into the room, it was really nice with its king size bed, and the balcony that faced the Las Vegas strip, just like before. Leonard dropped the overnight bags on the bed, thinking this should cheer her up, and watched Penny walk up to the balcony doors to look out, hoping her mood would get better. He watched her closely, because he was still worried, but he hoped the view would excite her as it did before, but then he heard Penny starting to sob. Leonard was confused and scared, at the same time, and he rushed over to Penny to hold her. "Penny what's wrong." he asked.

"I don't want to go back to jail….. I'm scared Leonard… I can't go back to jail…..they'll kill me….. and the baby." Penny said, then completely broke down in his arms.

Leonard spent, the next hour sitting in a chair with Penny in his lap, just rocking her and rubbing her back, as she whimpered into his shoulder. He felt so helpless to do anything for her, the incident with the highway patrolman had done something to her, and he was not getting through to her. She eventually fell asleep in his lap and he put her into the bed, putting the blanket and pillows around her. He sat in the chair and watched her and her steady breathing, while she slept, made Leonard realize that this was the first time he had seen her relaxed since he woke up this morning. He had to do something, he really felt that if he didn't do something he would loose her, and he couldn't bare that thought.

Leonard sat looking at Penny, for over an hour, thinking about what to do and finally decided who he needed to call. He then moved a little distance from her, stepping into the corner of the room and called Amy.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Amy heard her phone ring, but she was in the middle of slicing a section out of a monkey's brain so she couldn't answer it right away. It took her another 10 minutes before she had completed her task and could look at her phone, to see that Leonard called and left a message. Amy listened to Leonard's message, then immediately dialed him back, her bestie was in trouble, and Leonard answered on the first ring.

"How is she Leonard?" Amy asked, concern in her voice

"She is sleeping right now Amy, but I am really worried." Leonard responded, then Leonard explained to Amy all that had happened on their way to Las Vegas.

Amy didn't like what she was hearing, it sounded like Penny was really traumatized during her jail incident and they were now just seeing the symptoms, she needed help and she needed relief. "Leonard, I'm going to talk to a friend of mine who is a Psychologist and hopefully get back with you in a hour, okay?" Amy told him, then hung up. Amy left her lab and went to look for her friend.

Leonard sat in the room, watching Penny sleep, feeling helpless, Penny always said he thought too much and now he was doing it again. Leonard was feeling useless, a failure to her, and he wondered if maybe he wasn't the right person for Penny. He loved her with all his heart, but so much had happened to her and he couldn't protect her from any of it, what good was he. They had almost taken her away again, and what did he do, stood there, with handcuffs on, just watching them abuse her again. 'I love her so much,' he thought, 'Why can't I protect her,' a tear coming down his cheek as he kept looking at his damaged angel.

Leonard was staring at his sleeping angel, when he jumped from being surprised by his phone vibrating. Leonard saw it was Amy, so he moved off to the corner of the room, to talk. "Hello Amy," he whispered, so he not disturb Penny.

"Leonard, I have my friend here, Dr Andrew Reynolds, and I've told him everything you told me. Andy wants to help, can you talk to him?" Amy told Leonard, then handed the phone to Andy.

Leonard told Andy everything that happened since Penny was released and about the incidents, when she had done or said something disturbing. He also went over the incident they had with the highway patrol officer. Leonard then answered a couple of questions Andy had, then waited for Andy to tell him what he should do.

"Leonard, normally, I would tell you to bring her in for a session, but since you are out of state, and she is afraid of California right now, I can't recommend it. I also think if she had another incident with a California police officer, it could really make things worse. I think the only place she may feel safe now is back home in Nebraska. Where were you planning on going?" Andy asked Leonard

"I can take her to Nebraska, if that will help her, I can do that." Leonard responded

"I know someone in Omaha, she can see, if you want I could contact him, and bring him up to speed." Andy told Leonard.

"Yes, please, and you can text me his information." Leonard said, relieved that something to help her was now being planned.

"Okay, I'll do that. Leonard, let me tell you what I think is happening, Penny has probably never been beaten up in her life and that is probably what is causing this trauma. Kids get beaten up in school and they will miss school and do other things to compensate for it, but they almost always think everything will get better when they grow up. Adults think they are in control of their lives, but then something like this happens, especially if it has never happen before, and they don't know what to do, they feel like their helpless, and they have lost control. They usually get over it, especially if they have help, but it takes a little time, she needs time and therapy Leonard." Andy told him.

Leonard knew a little about what Andy was trying to say, because the first time Leonard was beat up in school, he was out a week before he could come back. "Okay, I'll give her time and she goes to therapy, I can handle that." Leonard told him.

"Leonard, another thing, what you told me, makes me think that Penny is clinging desperately to you for support. You are the only person she trusts to protect her and you are her focal point of her sanity, that is why she is clinging to you so much. You may be the only person standing between her and a nervous breakdown, so don't do anything that would make her think you are abandoning her." Andy told Leonard, waiting for a response.

"Okay, I think I understand and I won't upset her. Is there anything else?" Leonard asked.

"Not much, just take her home to Nebraska, and try to get her talking, but don't force her, talking always helps people try to address their problems. Get her to the doctor, whose information I will send you, and just love her, make sure she knows you love her." Andy told Leonard.

"I love her, so that is not a problem at all." Leonard responded to Andy, then, "She asked me to marry her right away, would that help her? We are in Las Vegas, she wanted us to run away and get married last weekend, here." Leonard asked Andy.

"I can't tell you what to do concerning that, Leonard, just realize she is focused on you right now, to protect her, she is probably not making well thought out decisions." Andy told him, however Andy didn't tell him that it would probably help her a lot, it would bond him to her and she would feel safer.

"She asked me to run away and marry her before she went to jail and all this stuff happened." Leonard told Andy

"Leonard, I can't advise you what to do, concerning marrying her, all I can tell you that right now, her decisions can't be trusted." Andy told Leonard, this man was obviously in love with her and would do anything for her.

"Okay, thanks Doctor, I will do what you told me and we will head to Nebraska tomorrow. I will also contact that Doctor friend of yours, immediately after I get her there and set her up to see him. Thanks again and I will be looking for your text." Leonard told Andy.

"Leonard, I am also going to send you my number, so if anything serious comes up, please call me day or night. You are not alone here, Amy and I will help you if you have problems." Andy told Leonard, secretly wishing them both well. Andy then passed the phone back to Amy.

"Leonard, Andy is right, call us if you need anything, day or night." Amy told him.

"Thanks Amy, I do have one request, could you tell everyone what is happening, I'm not up to it right now." Leonard asked her.

"I will Leonard, take care of yourself and Penny." Amy told him, her eyes getting wet.

"Thanks again Amy and tell Dr Reynolds thanks again. I need to go now, but I will let you know when we get to Nebraska. Bye." Leonard told her, then hung up after hearing 'Bye' from Amy.

Leonard put his phone away and looked at Penny laying in bed, she had not moved. Leonard suddenly felt tired and figured it was because he could now relax a little, he had something now, a plan at least. Leonard walked over to the bed and got in it, as close to Penny as he could and gently took her hand. Leonard was asleep less than five minutes later.

Amy thanked Andy for his help, and then started to contact everyone, to tell them about Leonard and Penny, she knew they would all be worried. Amy called Bernadette first and talked to her for almost a half hour, Bernadette was really concerned and worried about Penny because she had noticed something a little different about her when she had stayed there. Amy finally had to end her conversation with Bernadette, Bernadette telling her she would contact Michael and Dawn, because she had their numbers, and Amy telling her she would contact Raj and Sheldon.

Dawn and Michael were driving back from Leonard's leasing office when Dawn's phone rang, the call from Bernadette. It had only taken Michael, 30 minutes for him to convince the leasing company that fixing the elevator was going to cost them less than his lawsuit and they were still going to have to fix the elevator. Michael even made them provide him a schedule for when the work would take place, before he left. Dawn had got a kick out of watching Michael scare the hell out of them, concerning legal action, even talking on the phone to their lawyer, who told the company it was to their best interest to do what Michael wanted. Dawn had not practiced law for too long before she became a judge, and seeing Michael in action always impressed her. However, the fun was over now, and Dawn knew Bernadette's phone call had to do with Leonard and Penny, so she quickly answered.

"Bernadette, do you have any news about Leonard and Penny?" Dawn asked, then listened for 10 minutes as Bernadette quickly got her up to speed, on their situation. Michael couldn't help but glance at his wife, every couple of minutes, hoping she would tell him something, he was worried too.

"Okay, we'll see you at the apartment and talk more. Thanks for letting us know, later." Dawn said then hung up.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked, after seeing the serious look on his wife's face.

"Leonard and Penny are in Las Vegas and are not coming back, they are going to Penny's home in Nebraska. They had a bad time with a police officer before they left California and now Penny is showing some emotional problems, so they need to go someplace she feels safe and then she needs to get some treatment. Amy had a psychologist talk to Leonard and give him some recommendations, so that is why they are doing this." Dawn told Michael, he could tell she was bothered by Penny having problems, they were friends now.

"Good, I'm glad they are getting help already. Honey, I have seen this before, some people are traumatized about being locked up and Penny also got beat up, so she has more to be traumatized about. But they recover, when they get the right help and you know my brother will take care of her and make sure she gets the right help." Michael told her, and she nodded.

Everyone, showed up at Bernadette's house that evening, Leonard and Penny on everyone's mind. Raj picked up carry out for everyone and for the next two hours they ate then talked about their friends, each trying to get as much information as they could.

Michael explained that he would finish up his work there tomorrow, and him and Dawn would leave Saturday back to the East Coast, but he would be back later to finish up some stuff in California. The group broke up about 9 PM and went home, Michael and Dawn retiring to Howard and Bernadette's spare bedroom. The night had not the same joyful feeling of two nights ago and everyone went home serious and concerned about their friends.

"Honey you think they will be okay?" Dawn asked Michael, as they lay in bed.

"Leonard is the most caring person, I have ever know. If anyone can take care of Penny, its him and remember he loves her, so she'll be okay with him." Michael told his wife, then he pulled her close to him and gave her a kiss.

Leonard woke up a couple of times, but just went back to sleep, when he saw Penny was still asleep, he got closer to her each time and when dawn spilled in the windows, only a thin pillow separated him and her. As the room got lighter, Leonard lay there watching her, she had slept soundly all night, she seemed relaxed and as the room got brighter her eyes started to flutter. "Hey beautiful." Leonard greeted her, after her eyes fully opened.

Penny's eyes darted around, "Where are we Leonard?" she asked him, disoriented.

"We are in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we are safe." Leonard told her, noticing her relax a little. However, she still seemed on edge, to Leonard's dismay.

"Penny, I want to leave this morning, so we can make Denver by late evening, then Saturday we be at you home in Nebraska by late evening." Leonard told her, seeing the immediate interest in her eyes.

"Okay," was all Penny said, which concerned Leonard, because she still wasn't talking to him, she was just answering his questions.

"You want to get up now and get ready to leave?" Leonard asked her, and got a nod, as she slowly got out of bed. Leonard led her to the shower and ended up washing her, she seemed now to need him to lead her everywhere and make her do things. He helped her dress and he packed their bags, checked out and got her into the car. However before they left Las Vegas, Leonard wanted to get their flat tire fixed, so he found an open tire shop, near a diner, and had them fix his flat while he took Penny for breakfast.

"Penny you have to eat something, please do it for me." Leonard pleaded with her, which finally made her pick pancakes and juice. Penny picked at her food and ate about half of it, which made Leonard a little happy that she got something in her, then they got their car and fixed tire, and started to drive out of Las Vegas. The drive through Las Vegas was slow, because the streets were very crowded, for some reason this morning, and they just moved at about 15 MPH from traffic light to traffic light.

While sitting at a particularly long light, Leonard glanced at Penny, while she just looked out the window, she seemed so lost to him. It hurt his heart to see her like this, he was unable to help her, he was useless again, and his doubts started to haunt him again. Leonard loved Penny so much, but he wondered if that was enough, he just didn't seem able to protect her. However, the thought of not being with her, was almost too much for to bare. A tear fell down his cheek, Leonard had now worked himself into a serious case of despair and he was having trouble breathing, he needed his inhaler and it was in his jacket, in the back seat. Leonard was breathing shallowly when the light changed and he pulled into the first parking lot he saw, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. No sooner than he put the car in park, an inhaler appeared in front of his face, shocking him, it was in Penny's hand.

Penny watched Leonard take the inhaler, shake it, then spray it into his mouth and lungs, he immediately started breathing better, and Penny started to breathe again too. Penny started to carry Leonard's inhalers, in her purse, as soon as they got back together, she could no sooner leave without one as she could her phone. She had watched Leonard gasp for breathe once, and she had promised herself that would never happen again when she was around. Now having one of his inhalers was second nature to her, and it was instinct for her to give him it when he had trouble breathing. Penny was looking at Leonard, her mind now concerned about his well being, "Are you okay, sweetie." she asked him, concern on her face.

"Yes, thank you." Leonard said, looking at her.

Penny couldn't take her eyes off him, it seemed that those few seconds of worry for him, made her see him again. She always kissed him after he recovered from one of his attacks, it was another thing she did by instinct, not so much for him, but for her. Penny leaned to him, now staring at his lips and Leonard closed the distance between them. Penny closed her eyes and felt his warm lips on hers, the feeling was incredible to her, and her left hand naturally went to the back of his head, her fingers in his curly hair. It wasn't a long kiss and when they separated, they only parted enough for their noses to still touch. Penny's eyes were still closed, she moved her nose till it touched Leonard's cheek and then kissed it, she then moved it again and kissed him again, his skin touching hers felt wonderful, it was so warm and soft, and soon her mouth met his again and they kissed. Penny's mind was now completely occupied by thoughts of Leonard, "I love you Leonard." she told him, almost whispering.

"Penny, I'll do anything for you, anything, just tell me what you want me to do." Leonard whispered back to her, he was gently kissing her too, he just had this desperate need to make her feel better.

Penny's mind was back to a week before, when they touched like this and she wanted him to run away with her to Las Vegas to get married, "I love you, I want you, I need you. Please marry me, Leonard." Penny whispered back to him.

Penny's response caught Leonard off guard, but right now he would do anything for her, "I love you, Penny, I'd love to marry you." Leonard responded to her.

Penny and Leonard sat there and continued to gently kiss and touch each other for 20 minutes, then when they separated, they opened their eyes and looked at each other. "You ready to get married?" Leonard asked Penny, she bit her lip and nodded, a small smile on her face.

It took them about 15 minutes to find a 24 hour wedding chapel, Leonard the whole time thinking to himself, 'Don't over think it, just do it'. Leonard then took one more look at Penny and his mind was made up, so he got in the right lane, and pulled into the parking lot of the chapel. "You're sure Penny, you really want to get married in Las Vegas?" Leonard asked her one more time.

Penny nodded and smiled, "I'm sure. I love you Leonard. I want to be your wife." she told him and then kissed him.

Leonard wanted so badly for her to get better, and he knew she wanted to do this before the jail incident, so he hoped it would help her, plus he knew he would marry her anywhere and anytime, he too, just wanted to marry her. Once he turned off the engine, Leonard got out and went in the trunk to get the rings out of his suitcase, Penny watching him all the time. No sooner then he closed the trunk, Penny took his hand, smiling at him, and lead him to the chapel.

It felt a little awkward in the chapel and the wedding had been a little unusual, but Penny didn't mind and when she said her vows, her voice was clear and when she was told they were now man and wife she smiled, a genuine smile. Their first kiss, as husband and wife, did feel special and their kiss very loving, just shorter than they both probably wanted. An hour later, they were back in traffic and a few minutes later on the interstate heading to Denver, Penny was not blankly looking out the window anymore, she was staring at her wedding ring and she had their marriage license in her lap. The best thing about it though was that Penny had a small smile on her face the whole time and when he saw her eyes, there was a little twinkle, Leonard knew he did the right thing.

Penny couldn't take he eyes of her wedding ring and she also kept taking glances at the ring on Leonard's hand. She knew she wanted to marry Leonard, but now the feeling of being his wife, was more amazing than she ever expected, why had she waited for so long, denying herself so much happiness. She couldn't think of anything else, she felt her heart would explode out of her chest anytime now from pure joy, she was so happy. She didn't even know that her mind had put everything else back in the recesses of her consciousness, so now all she could think about was how happy she was to be Leonard's wife. She felt like they were really a family, she felt loved, and she felt secure, all the anguish from the last 24 hours now not important, the only things important to her, were Leonard and their baby, her family.

"Well Mrs Hofstadter, how has your day been so far." Leonard said, trying to joke with her a little.

Penny looked at him, her smile grew a little, "I love you calling me Mrs Hofstadter, Leonard. It just feels good." Penny told him, she turned her head to look at her ring again. Penny then reached over to his left hand and touched Leonard's wedding band for a couple of seconds, a gentle smile on her face. "I love you, Dr Hofstadter." Penny told Leonard.

"I love you Mrs Hofstadter." Leonard responded, and Penny leaned over and kissed his cheek. Penny was coming back, she seemed more alive with every second now, and she was talking, instead of just answering his questions.


	78. Chapter 78

**WARNING THIS CHAPTER IS RATED "M" FOR SEX**

Chapter 78

Dawn went with Michael, Friday morning, because Howard and Bernadette went to work and she didn't want to stay in an empty apartment. She went with Michael to the law firm and was actually surprised to see what Michael was doing, he was preparing a press release for Penny. Dawn sat at the computer with Michael and watched him type every word and realized that his press release was going to cause some excitement in Pasadena this afternoon, especially for county social services.

Then when Michael was done, he looked at his wife, he was going to ask her something difficult, something she may not like. "Honey, what that judge did to Penny wasn't right. Her arrogance cause Penny to be locked up and hurt. She didn't do her job and an innocent person got hurt, that's not right." Michael told her.

So far Dawn had sat back and didn't interfere with anything Michael did, even conspired with him yesterday, because Penny was innocent and didn't deserve to be punished. Now he was asking her to help him punish a judge, Dawn was a judge, he was asking her to help him punish someone like her, and she had mixed feelings. Michael was a teacher when they got married so their jobs never crossed professionally, but now Michael was asking her to do something professionally to get justice for his client, "Michael, what are you expecting me to do?" she asked him, this was hard, she was his wife and loved him, but she also swore an oath.

"Dawn, I know you know people who sit on the California Appeals Court and even know someone on the Attorney General's legal staff, all I am asking is that someone look into this judge's record. She is not following the law, she is allowing subpoena's to be served, without caring if there is a legal reason and that bench warrant was ridiculous." Michael told his wife, trying to reason with her.

"You want me to tell them I found a bad judge and she should be investigated, because she screwed with Penny." Dawn said to him.

"Her actions, almost got her killed, and if you don't think she did, you have to admit that Penny's baby could have easily died. Honey, what if Penny did die or she miscarried because of this, would you be so reluctant?" Michael said to her, he was now pleading.

Dawn, thought for a minute, She really cared for Penny now, and if she died, she would want to see the person responsible punished. Social Services and the judge were responsible, Michael was right. "Ok Michael, I need a phone and privacy, you can't be involved in this and I am going to tell them the truth and that Penny is going to be my sister-in-law. I'll tell them that what was done to her was not to the law, and this judge may be out of control and needs to be looked at." Dawn told him, and Michael left her alone so she could make her calls.

Sue Reese was trying to get all her work done, after lunch, so she could leave early, when she got the call from her boss. She was ordered to a meeting with her bosses boss, in an hour and told to bring Janice Upton with her, plus she was told she might want to bring her union representative too, because the meeting would involve disciplinary action for both of them. When Sue walked into the meeting she knew it wasn't really a meeting, in was an inquisition, because not only was her bosses boss there, but the director of county social services and a county lawyer. They talked to Janice first, she was terminated because she was still on probation, they just told her that her job performance was unacceptable and she was gone. After Janice left, the next hour and a half later was devoted to Sue, she found out she was on suspension, and an inquiry would be completed on her office, to determine if legal action needed to be taken against her. It seemed, because of her action with Penelope, and the press release today, by her lawyer, the press was on the counties back about how social services was being run and every manager's job was on the line, including the director's.

Leonard and Penny were having a late lunch, early dinner, at a restaurant along the interstate, and were talking. Penny was talking more and more now, and her attention was all devoted to Leonard, her husband and their baby. They talked about their family, Nebraska, their friends, her in-laws, everything except what happened to her, Leonard was going to leave that part to the professionals, now. Now, they were sitting in a booth at the restaurant, both on the same side, Penny tucked close into Leonard. Leonard had his smart phone open to the listing of hotels in Denver, and Leonard was only looking for ones with honeymoon suites. Every time he found one, he showed Penny pictures of the rooms to get her opinion and they usually ended giggling about how pink or too gaudy they were. By the time they finished eating, they had picked a hotel, so after paying their bill, they were on the road again.

Michael and Dawn were having dinner at a restaurant with Howard and Bernadette, when his phone rang, it was Leonard. "How is everything, Leonard…how is Penny …..Really!…Really, Leonard!….Congratulations Brother…..Okay, I understand …..No, I would do the same thing for Dawn…..You just drive carefully, and let me know when you get there….You don't have to say that, I'm just happy I could help…..Okay, your welcome…I'll tell her, tell Penny, Dawn loves her too…..Yes they're here and I'll tell them….I love you too, brother…Bye." Michael hung up and looked at Dawn, a tear in his eye. Dawn pulled his face close to hers and kissed him, gently wiping the tear away.

Michael was quiet for a few moments, just looking at Dawn, then he turned to Howard and Bernadette, who where patiently waiting, "Leonard called me from a rest area off the interstate. They are heading to Nebraska and are about to stop overnight in Denver. They will be staying in a hotel honeymoon suite because they got married this morning." Michael told them, Howard, Bernadette and Dawn all gasped and got wide eyed. "Leonard told me that Penny is feeling better and getting back to normal. Everything is going good right now. He told me to tell you all that him and Penny love you all and think you are the greatest friends, family and people they have ever known. Leonard will call us when he gets there and right now he doesn't know when he will be coming back." Michael was done talking, he put his arm around his wife and gave her a squeeze and she took his hand, kissing it. Howard put his arm around Bernadette and gave her his handkerchief to wipe the stray tears in her eyes.

Leonard and Penny walked into the honeymoon suite, they were now talking to each other, like they normally would. The bed was heart shaped and made Penny giggle, but then she got serious and looked at Leonard with disappointment in her eyes. Leonard was immediately worried that something had triggered an old memory and he was loosing her again.

"What is wrong honey?" Leonard asked.

"It is my wedding night, and I can't even consummate my marriage with my husband." Penny said, pouting.

"Honey that's okay, we have the rest of our lives to make love." Leonard told her, smiling at her.

"No Leonard, its not okay. I'm sorry, Honey. I hate that our honeymoon night will be without making love." Penny told him, it was obviously bothering her and she thought it was her fault.

"It is not your fault you are too banged up honey. With your ribs the way they are, it will hurt you." Leonard tried to reason with her.

Penny looked around the room and she saw the tub that was built into the floor of the room, in the shape of a heart, like the bed, it had a raised padded cover to prevent anyone falling in it at night. She smiled at Leonard, "Can we then just soak in the tub and have a glass of wine. The doctor said I could have a glass once in a while, and it wouldn't hurt the baby." Penny asked Leonard, who smiled and nodded.

Leonard pulled the cover off and started filling the tub, with the high speed faucets it was full of warm water 20 minutes later, just in time for the wine that room service brought. Leonard helped Penny put the protective waterproof bag on her right arm and then they slowly undressed each other. Leonard or Penny never realized how intimate and arousing undressing each other could be, they both stared at each other as they took turns removing each article of clothing from each other. They were both having trouble concentrating, looking at each other nude, and for a few minutes they just stared into each other eyes, before they both finally got in the warm water. Leonard poured a glass of wine for each of them and they soaked, drank their wine and talked, their bodies close, very close to each other. The warm water made Penny feel very good, the buoyancy took the weight off her back, taking pressure off her ribs and its warmth soothed her, making her movements in the water almost pain free. Because of this, Penny moved herself into Leonard lap, and leaned against his chest, his warm bare skin felt so wonderful against hers.

The buoyancy of the water also make it easy to move in the tub without pain for Penny, so after a little while she turned her body so she was facing Leonard, in his lap, her legs on each side of his hips. Leonard was just staring at her and she was staring at him, their noses touching. Penny couldn't believe how she felt, this man belonged to her, he was the most wonderful man in the world and he was hers, he was her husband, she was enthralled by him. "I love you, my husband," Penny whispered to him, then before he could speak she crushed her mouth to his.

The large tub, with the warm water, their naked bodies pressed together, her ribs not bothering her and their mouths together, their tongues exploring each other, was both intimate and erotic to Penny. Penny had never been in such a passionate situation before, her honeymoon night with the man she adored, it was unbelievable and she quickly became lost in the moment. Penny's right arm was on Leonard's left shoulder, her right hand tangled in Leonard's curly hair pushing his head and mouth against her own, her breasts were crushed against his chest, and yet she felt he wasn't close enough to her, she wanted him closer, she wanted him in her.

After a while, Penny reluctantly pulled her mouth from his, she looked at him with slightly glazed over eyes, he was the only object she could comprehend right now, she was barely able to speak, "Please Leonard," she begged him and then she was lost again, kissing him, the feeling of him her only desire.

Leonard gave in, he could never deny her, and he was already partially aroused, trying to control himself, so he just gave in. As his arousal increased, he very slowly entered her and he felt her shudder, he moved very slowly, he didn't want to make her move, he didn't want to hurt her. Just when he thought he was totally in her, she crushed her body against him again, making him go deeper and she moaned loudly.

Penny was giving herself to him, no inhibitions, she was giving away all control, he was her husband she was his, she had never given herself totally to any man before, she never trusted anyone, like she trusted Leonard. The buoyant water allowed her to move up and down on him without pain and the position she was in, along with the friction caused by the water, was driving her crazy. Her eyes were tightly closed now, her sense of touch, feeling, was providing the input to her brain. She found she couldn't kiss him anymore, she couldn't concentrate, she buried her face into his shoulder now, and with each slow deliberate downward movement by her, she moaned 'Oh My God'.

Time was meaningless to them, but in actuality not much time passed, they were to far gone to prolong the ecstasy and their passion made their climax come quickly and with extreme intensity. Penny stiffened up and screamed into Leonard's shoulder, there was pain in her ribs, but the pleasure far exceeded the pain and she hardly noticed. They were both spent, and they remained in the tub, holding each other, for a long while, every so often giving each other a soft gentle kiss.

Penny felt so weak and yet comfortable, laying on Leonard, she never wanted to move and she closed her eyes for a few seconds and put her head on Leonard's shoulder, the warmth of his body seeming to radiate directly to her making her relax even more, and giving her feelings of contentment. Penny actually fell asleep for a couple moments, then when Leonard kissed her, she smiled. "Honey, I think I'm falling asleep." she said to him, pulling her head back to look at him with dreamy eyes.

"Then we need to get out of this tub, baby. We already look like prunes." he told her, which made her giggle.

Leonard dried them both, Penny was really tired, and he reached to the suitcases to get them bed clothes, when Penny took his hand. "No honey, just hold me, like Adam and Eve." she told him, while she gently pulled him to the bed.

Leonard helped her get comfortable, and then moved it behind her, wrapping himself around her, his left hand in hers. Leonard's bare chest against her bare back, their warm flushed skin touching, made her feel so warm inside, she fell quickly to sleep. Penny's back resting on his chest, the relaxing warm bath, and the love they shared made Leonard follow her to sleep quickly too.


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Penny's eyes' fluttered open as the room got brighter from the morning sun. She woke up a little disoriented again, but she felt Leonard's arms around her and her back was to his chest so she felt safe and she immediately relaxed. She started remembering everything that happened yesterday and she pulled her left hand to her face, hers finger still intertwined with Leonard's, and saw the rings on their fingers and smiled. She remembered their night of love and she smiled again, because she now noticed her bare back was against Leonard's bare chest. It all felt very cute and intimate, she was lying nude in bed with her husband. Penny wanted to turn and wake Leonard up with kisses, but she remembered the last time she tried, to turn in his arms, and the pain her ribs felt, so she decided to just start kissing his hand until he woke up.

Leonard felt this strange sensation slowly drift into the dream world he was in, and it slowly started to draw him out to the world of the awake. Leonard, opened his eyes and was greeted by the blonde hair of his wife and the feel of her lips to his hand, he smiled and stuck his nose into hair to take in her scent. "Good morning, Mrs Hofstadter." he said to her.

Penny giggled, as she thought how now she was Penelope Hofstadter, wife of Doctor Leonard Hofstadter. "Good morning to you, Dr Hofstadter." Penny teased him, which got her a couple of kisses on where her neck met her shoulder. "Oh, Dr Hofstadter, you can't do that, I'm a married woman now." she teased him, making Leonard chuckle.

Penny was excited, she was married to Leonard, she was going home to see everyone, and she was pregnant, all the bad thoughts were out of her head, as she slowly sat up in bed, carefully turning slightly to look down at her husband. Penny smiled down at Leonard, a warm sweet smile, again she mentally cursed her ribs, because she just wanted to jump on him and kiss him every where on his face, she even had a plan, she would start with a kiss on the tip of his nose. "Good morning honey." she told him and carefully leaned down to kiss him, while he moved up to meet her half way.

Leonard gasped inside when Penny had sat up in bed, the covers falling off her bare body, she looked like a Greek statue, she was a goddess and he found it hard to believe she was now his wife. As she bent down to kiss him, he realized he would be able to kiss her every day for the rest of his life now, and he rushed up to receive his first kiss of the day. Everyday with Penny seemed better than the last, his future was going to be wonderful, he had everything he wanted in life, a girl he adored and was madly in love with, his soul mate and she was carrying their beautiful baby girl.

They slowly broke their kiss and Leonard got up to sit with Penny on the edge of the bed, just enjoying sitting next to her. Leonard then leaned towards her, because her twisting and leaning was painful, and they started kissing again, until they both had to stop to calm down, otherwise they would end up on top of each other trying to do a lot more than last night. They weren't floating in the tub, now, and any making love other way would have been to painful for Penny. They sat, with their faces close, their noses touching, just looking into each others eyes, until, Leonard broke the trance asking Penny if they should get up to go, so they could make her parents house before too late. Penny smiled and nodded, she was getting excited again.

Penny seemed to have gotten a burst of energy today, because she talked and talked and talked the whole morning. She was telling Leonard about her home, her family, her town and her friends. Leonard had a big, ear-to-ear smile on his face, while he enjoyed just listening to her, describing everybody and everything. Penny seemed back to herself and it lulled Leonard into thinking everything was fine, that is until they hit the traffic backup. There had been an accident and traffic was narrowed down to one lane, so traffic slowed. A half hour passed before they got to the source of the problem, and as they got near the scene, a state trooper, stepped out to stop Leonard's car and those cars behind him. IT was then when Leonard realized something was wrong, Penny's hand squeezed his hard, then he noticed she stopped talking and when he took a side glance at her, he saw fear in her eyes as the trooper approached Leonard's car.

"Sir, could you just stay stopped for a minute, while the wrecker, moves out with the car?" the trooper asked Leonard, very courteously.

"Yes, sure officer." Leonard responded, and as the trooper walked away, "It's okay Penny, we'll be out of here in a minute." he said to her and her eyes turned to look at him.

Twenty minutes later, Leonard was driving, at full speed, on the interstate again, but the incident with Penny made him realize she still needed help. Penny was talking to him again, but he had the feeling she was still a little tense and he knew he needed to get her to Dr Reynolds' colleague as soon as possible. The rest of the afternoon, Leonard concentrated on keeping her talking about things she was enthusiastic about, and he could tell it was helping her, because after about an hour she was excited again. The time and miles seemed to pass quickly after that and Leonard was surprised when Penny told him it was past lunch time and she was hungry.

Michael and Dawn, where about at the same place as Leonard and Penny, at lunch time, only they were at 30,000 feet in a Boeing 757 heading east. They were quiet, Dawn was leaning on Michael's shoulder, they were both sad to be leaving California and their new friends and family. Michael and Dawn both had to go to work Monday morning, they both barely gotten this past week off, but they felt a tie to the west coast now, so leaving had been bitter sweet. They both couldn't get there minds off of Leonard and Penny either, they wish they knew where they currently were and how they were, not knowing was hard on them, because now Penny along with Leonard were family, and Penny was carrying their future niece.

Leonard and Penny had just ordered their lunch at the roadside restaurant, when Leonard made an excuse to use the restroom. Penny was reluctant to let him leave her, but she was better now, so she just asked him to hurry back. Leonard needed to make a phone call and he hated he had to deceive his wife, but he didn't think it was the right time to let her know she needed to see someone, just yet. Dr Reynolds had told him Dr Freeman worked on Saturdays, so Leonard called her office and got her secretary on the second ring.

Mary was told that Dr Hofstadter was going to call and Dr Freeman had given her specific instructions concerning him and his girlfriend. "Dr Hofstadter, we have been expecting your call." Mary responded to him after he identified himself.

Leonard was a little surprised, "Oh, you were? Dr Reynolds told me to call." Leonard explained.

"Yes Dr Reynolds has given Dr Freeman all your information and she told me to offer you a 2 PM session on Monday, if you can make it." Mary told Leonard.

Leonard was a little surprised, Dr Reynolds text'd Leonard that Sunday and Monday were Dr Freeman's days off. "I thought Dr Freeman didn't work on Mondays." Leonard asked, now confused.

"Dr Hofstadter, Dr Freeman and Dr Reynolds are very old friends, so a friend of his gets special treatment, Dr Freeman told me to tell you." Mary told Leonard.

"Oh, okay. 2 PM on Monday. I have the address. Thank you, and please tell Dr Freeman thank you." Leonard told Mary, he was surprised but happy they would see Penny so soon, but now he only had less then 48 hours to convince her to go.

This Saturday, Alex was on her computer, in Leonard's office working on the report, and she was worried. Leonard had given her the key on Tuesday, when she saw him, so she could use the data he had in his office. However, since Leonard was gone, they were now actually behind in their schedule, and she hadn't heard anything about Leonard, since Wednesday, except for one text message that said in wouldn't be around the rest of the week. There were still more calculations and analysis that had to be done, and she needed more direction from Leonard on what text he wanted in the report. Alex didn't know what to do and she thought maybe his roommate Dr Cooper could help.

Amy had just parked in the parking spot in front of the train store, when Sheldon's phone rang. There was a sale and Amy agreed to take Sheldon to the train store because afterwards Sheldon promised to treat her to a dinner of cheese dogs at Carney's in their train diner. Sheldon was now looking at his phone and he scoffed at who was calling him, Alex.

"Yes Alex, what do you want." Sheldon said in disgust, Amy looking at him.

Sheldon sat quietly for a few minutes listening, before he interrupted, "Alex, I don't care… that is his problem….why are you even asking me this…I don't know where he is….good bye Alex." Sheldon said, then hung up, seeing a puzzled Amy.

"What did Alex, want?" Amy asked him, she remembered Alex was working with Leonard and maybe had some news about him and Penny.

"The nerve of her and Leonard. She deserts me then calls me for help, because she hasn't heard from Leonard and she is worried about his project. Like I care about his stupid project." Sheldon said in disgust.

"Sheldon, you know Leonard, has dropped everything to help Penny. They both are our friends and they are both having trouble right now. I saw you when we thought we lost Penny and you were upset too. Why are you acting like you don't care, now?" Amy asked him, starting to get upset.

"I don't care, Amy." Sheldon said defiantly

"Sheldon Cooper, what is wrong with you!" Amy exclaimed, and then started to cry.

Sheldon was totally surprised at Amy and her outburst, he was mad at Leonard and Alex, not her, why was she crying. "Amy don't cry. Please don't cry. I'm sorry." Sheldon said softly to her, while patting her back. He really didn't know why she was crying or that he did anything wrong.

Amy stopped crying, but was still upset, "So you are going to call Alex back and tell her you will help?" Amy asked Sheldon, then saw him give her a confused look.

"Why would I do that." Sheldon asked.

"Sheldon, Leonard is your friend, Penny is your friend, it is social convention, when friends need help, friends help them." Amy told him.

Sheldon thought for a moment. "Amy, I'm not sure social convention applies where someone is asked to work on someone else's project, but I will help if it makes you happy. I don't want you sad or to cry anymore." Sheldon told her.

"Thank you, Sheldon." Amy responded. However just then her phone vibrated in her purse, and as soon as she took it out she could see it was Bernadette.

"Hi Bernadette, have you heard from Penny and Leonard?…Yes that would be fine…..We are eating at Carney's at 5 PM…..No, we would love to have you guys join us…..Of course, Raj is always welcome…..see you then, bye." Amy then hung up with a little puzzled expression on her face.

"Amy, I thought we were eating alone." Sheldon stated, obviously not happy with the new plans.

"Sheldon, they have news about Penny and Leonard and they wanted to tell us in person, so they are eating with us, because I want to know what is happening, don't you?" Amy said to him, with a little disgust.

"I guess." Sheldon simply responded.

"Why don't you tell Alex that we are all eating and ask her to join us, then she could tell you what she wants and we can see if it is acceptable." Amy told Sheldon, making it sound like he could refuse Alex if he wanted, but Amy wanted to really make sure he did help Leonard.

Alex got off the phone a few minutes later, and sat at the desk staring at the phone. Dr Cooper had suddenly called her and was nice, asking her to meet the group for a meal, she couldn't believe it, he was actually nice to her. He also said they could go over Leonard's situation and determine the best course of action and Dr Cooper would provide her some guidance. Alex now didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

Penny had seemed herself again during lunch, flirting with him the whole time, and being just Penny. Also, much to his delight, after they got back on the road, she talked his ear off, the whole time, and again he was surprised when dinner time rolled around again, the time and miles have flown by. Penny's appetite was back to normal, and since she was eating for two, she now never missed a meal, which made Leonard happy, she was taking care of herself.

Amy's afternoon went by slow, she couldn't wait to see Bernadette for dinner, not knowing about Penny and Leonard was driving her crazy. She hardly heard anything Sheldon said at the train store, which really was alright because he was just telling her train facts and wasn't expecting a response. She practically ran to the table when they got to Carney's and Bernadette and Howard were already there. Amy and Sheldon were the last ones there, so they quickly greeted Alex, Raj, Howard and Bernadette, before Amy practically begged Bernadette for her news.

"Well first, Penny and Leonard are going to Penny's home in Nebraska and should be there tonight, maybe getting there before we are done here tonight. Leonard will call us as soon as he gets there." Bernadette told them, and they all smiled and nodded. "Penny is doing better, but the big thing is, while they were in Las Vegas, they got married!" Bernadette said, a big grin and her face.

"Oh my God, really, they did it!" Amy exclaimed, almost jumping up and down in her seat.

Raj, who hadn't had a drink yet, smiled and gave Bernadette two thumbs up.

Sheldon, mumbled something about the roommate agreement, then put on his Koala face, when Amy heard him and glared.

No one noticed the shock on Alex's face the first second of the news, because she quickly pasted a false smile on her face for the group. At least no one except Raj, who had been taking causal glances at Alex since she got there.

Alex felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart, when she heard the news about Penny and Leonard getting married. She thought she had put Leonard in a place in her heart as her friend, but the news made her realize she had fooling herself, because now she just wanted to crawl into a hole and bawl. She was having so much trouble holding back the tears and keeping the smile plastered on her face and she was just waiting for the good mood of the group to end, so she could leave.

The group finally stopped talking about how happy they were for Leonard and Penny and started to discuss what they were going to do next and when they would be back. Alex saw it as her excuse to leave, it was getting harder and harder for her to maintain her composure. Alex stood up, "I have to go the bathroom, excuse me." she said as casually as she could, and everyone just nodded and kept talking. Alex barely got into the restroom stall before the tears fell, and once they started, she didn't know if they would ever stop. She knew she couldn't have Leonard, but now that he was married, it seemed so final, and the hurt it caused was beyond her understanding. She now realized she had never really given up hope of being with him, it was crazy, she knew, she even liked Penny, but she loved Leonard, she had a crush on him since the first time she met him. And now he was gone, it was final, he was Penny's and Alex didn't know how she could handle it.

Everyone was talking so much they didn't really notice that Alex had been gone so long, except Raj, he again the noticed how quickly the smile left Alex's face as she moved away from the table. It had to do with Leonard, Raj knew that, he had seen the way she looked at Leonard in the cafeteria, Raj so wished he was Leonard, because he really liked Alex. She had been so nice to him, and he knew she didn't feel anything for him, like she did for Leonard, but he really wanted to be her friend. He would really be just happy if he could just be as good a friend as Leonard was to Penny, before they started dating. Raj whispered into Howard's ear that he was going to the restroom, then got up to look for Alex, he knew he couldn't help her if he wasn't brave enough to find her.

Alex managed to stop the flow of tears and even get her face washed, but she didn't think she could go back to the group, she just couldn't do it. She hoped they wouldn't be mad at her, but she decided it was the best thing to do, leave. Alex walked out of the restroom, and started to head to the exit door, when she heard her name, 'Alex' and froze.

Raj had been terrified, he saw her walk out of the restroom and head for the door, he also saw her eyes were red, she was going to be gone in a minute and suddenly he yelled her name. Everything had happened so fast, he didn't even think about it, Raj just didn't want to see her go, and now as she turned to look at him, his blood went to ice. What was he going to do?


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Alex couldn't understand who could be calling her name, she never hear that accent before, so when she turned she was stunned to see Raj. It dawned on Alex that she had never heard him speak before and she felt stupid because she never thought about him having an accent. She stood there, she was caught and she was torn between turning and hurrying out or giving up now and going back. She found herself paralyzed in place and becoming apprehensive because now people were looking at her, but then Raj started to walk towards her. She couldn't tear her eyes from him, and when he reached her, he took a deep breathe, and gently grasped her arm, to lead her to the corner of the room. She had been powerless to resist him and now once there, they stared at each other for a few minutes, saying nothing.

Raj was close to panic, he still didn't know how he got the courage to bring her over here, away from the people who were staring at them. Alex was now looking at him, and he didn't know what to say, he hadn't been thinking when he acted. She was so pretty and nice, and Raj thought he now knew what Leonard must feel towards Penny. That finally gave him an idea, he thought to himself, what would Leonard do? Al…Al…Alex…what….what is…..what is wrong?" Raj managed to say to her.

Alex just stared at him, slightly in shock that he talked to her again, she could see how he was struggling with it and she couldn't keep her heart from going out to him. The compassion in his eyes also got to her, and even though she couldn't tell him what the problem was, she still understood all he was doing was trying to help her. He was looking at her for an answer, and she had none to provide him, how could she tell him how much it hurt to know Leonard was now married. The pain was coming back, she should have ran, but now she knew she wouldn't make it, and she needed someone to hold her. Alex took a step towards him and put her arms around his neck, then buried her face in his shoulder and started to let the tears go again, whimpering in his shoulder.

Raj was surprised, he really couldn't believe it, he could feel more than hear her crying in his shoulder. She was actually seeking comfort in him and he slowly put his arms around her and rubbed her back, like he saw Leonard do to Penny many times before when she was upset. She cried for almost 5 minutes, but Raj didn't care, he would have stood there holding her all night if she needed him. Finally he felt her stop and after a couple more minutes, slowly come off his shoulder to look at him, her eyes were red.

"Thank you Raj." Alex told him, she was looking into his eyes.

"Your….your welcome, Alex." he responded, he was actually feeling okay talking to her.

"I guess we should go back." she told Raj, biting her lip. "Could I ask you to keep this between us?" Alex asked him.

"Yes… okay." Raj responded, nodding and smiling.

"Thank you." Alex said and she started to walk back to the table, until she felt Raj grab her arm, turning her.

"Your eyes." Raj said, they were all red, everyone would know she was crying.

"Oh, thank you. Let me put some makeup on." Alex told him, smiling.

"I'll see you at the table?" Raj asked her, giving her a look that was encouraging.

"I'll come back. I promise." Alex told him and smiled again.

Leonard pulled into the driveway of Penny's parents farm, Penny practically bouncing in her seat with excitement, which made him chuckle and worry she might hurt herself. Her parents must have been as excited as her, because no sooner than he turned off the car, he saw Wyatt come out of the house with a woman who must have been Penny's mother. Penny was out the car door and to her parents, faster then he thought possible, however, she stopped short of hugging them, obviously remembering her sore ribs. Leonard left the car after her and approached them, he smiled as he heard Penny talking a mile a minute to them, telling them about their trip. However, he could tell they were more concerned about the current physical state of their daughter and her mom looked at Leonard a couple times before Penny explained about the auto accident.

Penny's mom now seemed convinced that Leonard had not hurt her, Leonard never saw any worry or doubt in Wyatt's eyes about him, and she took Penny's left hand to look at her engagement ring, then stopped and stared. Penny's mom had gone quiet, which made Penny stop talking and Wyatt look at both of them, then Penny's mom took a step to Leonard to take his left hand to show it to Wyatt. Leonard saw Wyatt's eyes finally recognize what his wife was showing him, then he looked at Leonard, Leonard was waiting for the shouting to start.

"Congratulations, SON!" Wyatt exclaimed, grabbing Leonard in a hug. "Honey, I'm proud of you." he told Penny, a big smile on his face.

"Why daddy, because I married a man you liked?" Penny said, her voice a little confused.

"No honey, because you grown into a very intelligent woman, who recognizes a good man when you see one." Wyatt said to her smiling.

Penny was now smiling, "Yeah, he is pretty amazing isn't he." she said, then walked over and kissed Leonard on the cheek.

"Penny, I thought you said you were going to get married here?" Penny's mother broke in, she sounded a little upset. "I have already started making plans. I was hoping you would have a church wedding." she told her daughter.

"Penny we could still do that if you want." Leonard told his wife, seeing Penny's mother start to smile.

"I don't know. I guess it would be okay." Penny answered.

"What religion are you Leonard?" Penny's mom asked.

"Mom, please." Penny quickly said, however her look at Leonard made him realize she was curious too.

"Well my parents didn't believe in religion, but my grandparents were Catholic." Leonard told her and saw Penny's mother break out into a big smile, which confused Leonard.

Penny saw Leonard's confusion and smiled at him, "Honey, I'm Catholic. Not a good one, but that was how I was raised." she softly told him.

Penny's mother was still smiling, "Penny bring you husband in, and have something to eat, it's cold out here." she told her daughter, as she started to lead her inside.

"I'll just get our bags, honey, you go ahead." Leonard said, and Wyatt told him he'd help.

No sooner that his wife and daughter went inside. "You know you just made my wife's day." Wyatt said giving Leonard a wink.

"Because my family is Catholic? Is you wife religious." Leonard asked.

"Very." Wyatt answered.

"I was never baptized." Leonard confessed.

"Well, if you have a church wedding here, you'll have to get baptized, son, it's really easy, and believe me it will make everyone of the women happy." Wyatt told him and Leonard just nodded.

Leonard decided he needed to tell Wyatt about Penny, so while they were unloading the bags he stopped him and started to tell him about the last week and what happened to her after the accident. Leonard watched the hurt pass over Wyatt's face as he told him about the jail and then the hospital, finally getting to the incidents with the police along the way. Leonard then told Wyatt about Penny needing help and the appointment in Omaha on Monday and Wyatt just nodded.

"Leonard, as her husband you are the man in her life now and the one with the primary responsibility to take care of her, but as her father, I suggest you tell her about the appointment very soon. Don't wait till the last moment, or she will just not go." Wyatt told Leonard, and Leonard promised he would take Wyatt's advice.

It was close to 10 PM and it had been almost 2 hours since Howard and Bernadette had left Carney's, when they got the call from Penny, letting them know that Leonard and Penny were at Penny's parents home. Bernadette and Penny talked for about 20 minutes about the last three days and Howard could tell Bernadette was so happy and relieved to talk to Penny, because she had tears in her eyes. Leonard called Amy, who was at Sheldon's apartment, at the same time as Penny was on the phone with Bernadette, so he could make an excuse to walk outside to talk to her. He told Amy about the same thing as Penny told Bernadette, then told her about the accident incident with the trooper and let her know he made an appointment for her on Monday.

Raj was sitting at home, he hadn't said a thing after Alex and him got back to the table, at Carney's earlier. Alex had sat next to him, but acted very reserved the rest of the night, and a couple of times she had grabbed Raj's hand under the table when the group talked about Leonard and Penny being married. Raj and Alex now had a secret between them, but it was a secret between friends, because the secret was she had feelings for Leonard, and Raj would take it to his grave, if it kept Alex from crying again.

Leonard and Penny had talked, eaten and finally ended up talking again in Penny's parents living room, Penny on pillows laying in Leonard's lap. But Penny was sleepy so within the hour Leonard and Penny had retired into Penny's old room, after quickly getting ready for bed. It was a lot cooler in Nebraska, then California, and Leonard had helped Penny get a position where she could rest on her side, with no pain, in Leonard's arms, with the covers piled on top of them. She had a pillow tucked in front of her, that allowed her to hold Leonard's hand against it, and in this cocoon Penny felt safe, warm and content. Penny was tired, and with Leonard holding her, the warm comfortable feeling of him and the bed, it was too soothing to her and she didn't even realize it when she fell asleep.

Over the last few weeks, since Leonard came back from Switzerland, Penny had been with him a great deal, so now she had adjusted to his schedule instead of her old schedule of being a waitress. She now woke up when it got light and felt tired when it got dark, so when the morning sun lit up the room, Penny started to stir. The pregnancy had started to have its effect on her, so every morning she needed to use the restroom first, the only problem was this morning it was cool in the room and she was warm under the covers in Leonard's arms. Penny didn't want to move, this was her favorite spot to be and moving would ruin it for her. She had a difficult decision, stay comfortable in her cocoon or pee, the problem was she couldn't really be comfortable when she had to pee, so she was going to have to wake Leonard up.

Penny was quick, she wanted her warm spot back, so she hurried and got back in bed with Leonard, who was now wide awake. "Honey, I need to talk to you about something." Leonard said cautiously, he was not sure if he could bring the subject up without her getting upset, but he had to, because he knew Wyatt was right.

Penny had almost fallen asleep as soon as she was comfortable again, but Leonard's voice made her smile and she always liked talking to him. "What's on your mind, Sweetie." she said, her eyes were closed and she was just listening.

"Penny, I made an appointment at a therapist tomorrow, for you to talk to….about everything that happened." Leonard told her, waiting for her to respond.

Penny's eyes were now open, she didn't know what to think, did her husband think she was crazy? He must, he thinks she has mental problems, tears started to form in her eyes. "Leonard, I don't want to go, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause problems." Penny croaked out, the tears staring to run down her cheeks.

Leonard felt helpless, he really thought she get mad and yell at him, not breakdown and cry, he felt like a horrible person, making her cry. "Penny, you didn't cause any problems and you don't have anything to be sorry about." Leonard told her, desperately trying to get her feeling better.

"Leonard, do you thing I'm crazy." Penny asked him, her crying making her hard to understand.

"No honey, you are not crazy, I have never believed you are crazy, it just bad people hurt you, both physically and mentally, and I just don't want you to suffer. I love you Penny, I would never hurt you. I promise I will keep you safe." Leonard told her, almost pleading with her.

Penny's tears, turned to sniffles and she felt Leonard move, then hand her tissues. In a minute even the sniffles stopped, because Leonard held her a little closer and gave her a couple kisses on her neck, telling her he loved her. She couldn't help herself she was still upset about going to see a doctor about her mind, she felt damaged, and it bothered her that other people saw her that way, especially her husband. They found falling back to sleep to be hard, even though it was only 6 AM, Penny remembering what he said, the feeling of failure she had and Leonard being afraid to bring the subject up again, because of her response. They didn't talk, just laid there, sometimes dozing off and on, but neither one of them could bring up the question between them, Penny getting help. They had both dozed off again, for an hour, when they woke up to knocking on the bedroom door.

"Penny, honey, it's mom, in is almost noon, honey and there is someone who stopped over to see you, it's Jake." Penny's mom told them through the door.

They both woke up, but Penny knew she was the one who needed to answer, "Mom, we just got up, and we are still in pajamas." she told her mom, hoping that would make Jake leave, she didn't want to talk to anyone, especially him.

"Sweetie, he is on his lunch break, and I made him a sandwich, so he can stay for about an hour, he said." she told them.

Penny knew she had to see him, Jake always came by when she visited, he needed to stop, she was married now. "Okay mom, give me 20 minutes." Penny told her.

Leonard listened to the whole exchange, he actually was relieved that something happen to change the subject between them, because he knew they were both struggling with it. Leonard knew about Jake, Penny told him about Jake yesterday on the drive to Nebraska. Jake was the quarterback on her high school football team, he was tall, handsome, and all the girls loved him, he was also Penny's ex-boyfriend. When Penny told him about Jake, Leonard listened, but he soon felt inadequate, until she finished talking about him and kissed Leonard's cheek. As he drove, Penny's face was close to his, her nose and her hot breathe touching his cheek and she whispered to him that she had only dated boys before, and didn't know what a man was until she met Leonard, then she told Leonard he was amazing and she was his, so he better not forget it, as she nuzzled his ear. Leonard never gave Jake a second thought after that, except that he knew Penny didn't really care to see him.

Penny had taken her time getting ready, so 30 minutes later she was leading Leonard down the stairs, when it happened, surprising and confusing Leonard, at first, as Penny turned and ran back up the stairs, almost over him, then pulling him behind her. Leonard had gotten one glance at the living room, before she turned him and pulled him back to the bedroom, and he knew Penny was in some pain as she yanked him along behind her. Inside he just took her in his arms as she shivered, there wasn't any else he could do, because, in that one glance, Leonard knew why she bolted, Jake was a deputy sheriff and he was in uniform.

"I'm sorry Leonard. I can't go down there. Please make him go away. I'll go to that head doctor tomorrow, I promise, but make him go away now." Penny pleaded with Leonard, a few tears running down her cheek, and Leonard nodded, telling her okay.

Five minutes later Leonard walked into the living room to Penny's mother, Wyatt and Jake. "Where's Penny? Is she coming down?" Penny's mother asked.

"She is having morning sickness. I'm not sure when she will feel better, to leave the restroom. Sometimes these things last a while." Leonard lied.

Jake looked at Leonard, and Leonard noticed surprise on his features. "Penny is pregnant?" he blurted out, no subtlety at all in his voice.

"Yeah, Jake, Penny and Leonard are having a baby." Wyatt told Jake, giving a very slight nod to Leonard.

"You got Penny pregnant." Jake said to Leonard, it was more of an accusation then a statement.

Leonard really didn't like Jake now and he certainly didn't like his attitude, he acted like he owned Penny and Leonard had done something wrong. Penny had told Leonard that Jake would stop by every time she came home to visit and want her to be with him, again, he wasn't a stalker, but he was pushy she said. She also said Jake was about the most untrustworthy bastard you could ever meet. "Yes, my wife is pregnant. Why does that seem to be a problem with you." Leonard said to Jake, in a tone of resentment, and he saw Jake's eyes go wide.

"Penny is married to you?" Jake said to Leonard in disbelief. Leonard was now getting mad.

"Jake, Penny has been with Dr Hofstadter for a while, and they recently got married and pregnant. Maybe you have heard of my son-in-law, he has been on all the news." Wyatt told Jake, then handed him an week old Omaha paper with Leonard's picture on it, with a story about him changing our perceptions of the universe.

Jake stared at the newspaper and then at Leonard, and finally at Wyatt, he was at a loss for words. He glanced at the first few lines of the article, this short man in front of him was some sort of famous Physicist the article said, who did something important, and all he could think was when did Penny start hanging around with people like that. Married and pregnant to some famous super scientist, it was too much for Jake, he just wanted to leave now.

"Nice seeing you all, I really need to get back to work." Jake said starting to walk to the door. Jake turned to look at Leonard, who was staring at him, contempt on his face. "Tell Penny I'll see…..tell her I said hi." he said, then walked out the door.

Leonard stared at the door for a couple moments, then looked at Wyatt, who smiled and nodded to him, Penny's mother stood there with a confused expression on her face. "I never liked that boy anyway. Hope that's the last we've seen of him." Wyatt said, looking at Leonard, a smile still on his face.

"Wyatt, he wasn't that bad." Penny's mother said, but she still seemed confused.

"Dear, that boy could care less it he had been the one to get Penny pregnant, then he would left her to take care of herself, if it wasn't for Penny being smarter than him. They already say there are two girls in town that have kids that look like him. Plus I always heard you say you wanted your girls to marry doctors. Well Penny did, and he is a good man, so hell with Jake." Wyatt told his wife.

"Wyatt! You don't have to use that language. Leonard, sweetie, Penny loves you and we love you, please don't think we aren't happy you married our Penny." Penny's mother said apologetically to Leonard.

"Mom, I love Leonard and we are going to be together forever." Penny said as she came down the stairs, she had stood at the top of the stairs and heard everything that was said. She went to Leonard and laid her head on his shoulder and took his arm in hers. "Jake is an asshole, a spoiled little boy, I want only men in my life now, like Leonard and daddy." she told them, then kissed Leonard's cheek. Wyatt and Leonard couldn't help but smile at each other, they both loved Penny.

Sunday was busy for Leonard and Penny, Wyatt took them to the church see Wyatt's friend, Father O'Brien, then after that Penny's mom took them to see relatives. Leonard was actually amused because he knew he was being paraded in from of Penny's family, because Penny told him it would happen soon after he got there. The day had been long and it was dark before they got back to Penny's home and Penny was beat, she would get tired quicker now, especially after dark. Leonard was the one who got them to bed, he wanted her to get a good nights sleep, tomorrow was going to be busy for both of them. He was actually happy she was so tired and would not dwell on the next day too much, he still was concerned he was forcing her to do something she didn't like, But tonight Penny was going to have no trouble sleeping, so that night the only words he told her before she drifted off, were 'I Love You.'


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Monday started out in a hurry, Leonard was up at 7 AM, convincing Penny to sleep a little longer, but both of them were eating by 8 AM. Leonard, first called human services at Cal Tech and got Penny on his insurance, as his wife, then took care of everything he needed to register her. Next he contacted Alex, and till almost 11 AM went over the plans for the week, promising her more report chapters tomorrow. Then it was off to Omaha to see the doctor, with his nervous wife, who he could tell didn't want to go, but would not break her promise to him.

Sheldon walked into Leonard's office about 15 minutes after Alex hung up on Leonard. He had actually been standing outside the office for over 15 minutes, hearing the last part of the conversation between Alex and Leonard, trying to figure some excuse to not go in, that Amy would believe, but failing. If it had anyone but Sheldon, they would have wondered about the sigh Alex let out after she hung up and asked her what was wrong when then saw her face. Alex was actually happy it was Dr Copper because he wouldn't notice and wouldn't care to know.

"Dr Cooper, I can bring up Dr Hofstadter's information on the computer and walk you through it." Alex said to Sheldon, while getting up so he could sit at the computer.

"Alex, I highly doubt that you could show me anything, that I couldn't discover for myself." Sheldon responded, full of self-importance.

"Fine Dr Cooper, the data file list is up on the computer. I'm going to get some coffee and an aspirin." Alex told him, while starting for the door.

"Alex surely Leonard, doesn't let you go out for snacks while you are suppose to be working." Sheldon said, thinking she was trying to shirk her responsibilities because Leonard wasn't around. Alex looked at him about to say something, thought better of it and then just said it.

"Dr Cooper, I don't work for Dr Hofstadter, I work with Dr Hofstadter." Alex told him, seeing him become confused. However, Alex didn't realize how much those words would make her feel, she didn't work for him she was his partner, she was suddenly confused again, and rushed out the door, before Dr Cooper saw the tears.

Leonard and Penny stood outside the office of Dr Cathy Freeman, the door was locked and the lights off, but there was a note saying she would be right back. They didn't have long to wait as Dr Freeman showed up a couple minutes after they got there. She let them into the office and to her office, while staring the introductions of herself to them.

"If you don't mind, I would like to use Leonard and Penelope, when we talk, since we are pretty informal here, and you are friends of friends. Please call me Cathy." Cathy told them, she wanted to put Penelope at ease.

"Okay, but call me Penny, please. Everyone does." Penny told her, seeing Cathy nod and smile.

"Okay, let me just fill out a little paperwork. Penelope, sorry Penny, how do you spell your last name?" Cathy said, while she put her pen to paper.

"H..O..F..S..T..A..D..T..E..R." Penny spelled out, seeing Cathy write it down, them stop and look at them.

"Andy told me you were boyfriend and girlfriend. Has that change recently?" Cathy asked them, this was not the situation, Andy had briefed her on.

Penny had been holding Leonard's hand the whole time, she was uncomfortable and now she didn't like the way this doctor was questioning them. "We got married Thursday." Penny said defensively, staring at Cathy. Leonard could feel the tension in her hand.

Cathy's job was to read people and she could see Penny's change in attitude and defensiveness. "Okay, well congratulations, but I hope your husband, won't mind if we talk alone for a while." Cathy said to Penny, to calm her down, then smiled at Leonard.

Cathy watched their body motion, she could see there was a definite emotional bond between these two, she was dependent on him and he was defending her. She saw Penny holding his hand the whole time, and she noticed how she was conveying things to him by the way she held it. They also spoke to each through their eyes, they knew each other, these were two people who had know each other for a while. Cathy had to get Penny out of her comfort zone, so she would talk, because with her husband she felt she safe and secure.

Neither of them had moved, Cathy could see she didn't want him to go and he didn't want to leave her, "Leonard, could I now talk to Penny alone?" Cathy asked him, seeing them look at each other again. Cathy saw they still didn't want to separate, but Penny was using him too much as a crutch and she needed Penny now to open up.

"Can't Leonard stay?" Penny asked, pleading.

"Penny, it would better if we talked alone, please trust me." Cathy said, directing the last part to Leonard, who seemed to understand.

"Penny, I'll just wait outside, Honey. I'll be there if you need me." Leonard told her, and reluctantly got up.

Cathy could see Penny was having trouble releasing Leonard's hand, so she tried to distract her. "Penny can you tell me what happened after you were arrested?" Cathy asked, seeing Penny look at her with a little bit of concern, letting Leonard's hand go.

Leonard sat in the waiting room for over an hour, he didn't know how to feel and he didn't know if he had done the right thing. The short amount of time he was with Penny and Cathy, Cathy seemed to make Penny more upset than help her and Leonard didn't know if that would help her or make her feel worse. The first half hour he just sat and worried about Penny, but now he was texting Alex to find out what was happening. She told him Sheldon offered to help her with his project and he was wondering how that went, he was now waiting for an answer.

Penny came out after an hour and a half, she thanked Cathy and confirmed her appointment on Thursday, then took Leonard's hand to leave. The trip to the car was quiet and Penny didn't say a word, Leonard not sure what to say, until he couldn't bear it anymore. "Penny are you all right?" he asked her, and she looked at him confused.

"Leonard, she explained some things, and I want to tell you, but I don't want to tell you, because I'm not sure how it will make you feel." Penny told him, pain evident on her face. Penny loved Leonard, Cathy really didn't know the what both of them went through to get where they were, and now Penny didn't want to say something that could drive a wedge between them.

"I don't understand. Why would matter how I feel, this is for you, it is about how you feel. It is to help you, not me. So don't worry how I feel." Leonard told her, not sure what else to say.

Penny bit her lip, she really didn't want to say anything, but he was her husband and she knew how much she screwed things up before by not talking to him. "Leonard, she talked about the accident and my arrest. She also said some things about us getting married and that we probably got married for the wrong reasons, that I became to emotionally dependent on you, because of everything and that made me do things, I wouldn't have done otherwise." Penny told him, then looked at him.

"Oh," was all Leonard said, suddenly feeling that forever wasn't really forever, but only really a couple of months. He couldn't get his head around it, he had to change the subject or he knew he would get upset, "Did she talk about the police thing?" Leonard asked, he wanted to get his mind on something else.

"Yes, I told her what happened and how I felt and she explained my feelings to me, and it sort of made sense. She want's to talk about it more on Thursday. I actually feel a little better about it." Penny answered, but Leonard knew her mind was still on the marriage subject.

Leonard kept thinking about what she told him, he wanted it to go away, he even wanted to change the subject, but if he was honest to himself, it was a fear he had in the back of his mind since they decided to get married. A fear he thought he could bury and that would eventually go away after time. "Penny, did Cathy…..did she suggest we should do something about it. I mean what else did she say about us getting married?" Leonard asked Penny, he didn't really know if he wanted her to answer.

"Nothing. She didn't say anything but that maybe it was not the right time for us to get married, because of all that happened to me. That's all. Then we spoke about the other stuff, the rest of the time." Penny told him, she wanted to know how he felt.

Now Leonard couldn't bring himself to talk, he just pulled into traffic and headed back to Penny's home, his mind going places, he never thought it would ever go. Penny knew he was thinking about what she told him, she couldn't get it out of her head herself, maybe they did make a mistake, but mistakes can be fixed, she thought. Penny didn't think it was a mistake, she loved him and she loved being with him, the only time she was really unhappy was when he wasn't around, how could that be a mistake. Penny looked at him, and she saw the concern on his face, they needed to talk, talk was what couples did to fix things.

"Leonard, did we make a mistake?" Penny asked him, she needed him to talk to her.

"I don't know, maybe it might have been better to wait and get married here, a few months later, so we had time to return to normal." Leonard told her, he was not sure anymore if he had did the right thing for her. Yes he had wanted to marry her, but the doctor was right, Penny was hurting since when he had come back from Switzerland, maybe they rushed it.

"Leonard, if we made a mistake, could we still try and work through it. I still want to be your wife, my love for you hasn't changed and I still love being with you. Honey, I don't want anyone else. Could we just forget about what she said and keep things the same, and just see what happens?" Penny pleaded with him, Penny remembered the bowling alley, and how if they had just stayed and worked things out, they would not now be in this situation. She wanted to work things out with him and she wanted to kiss him, but she didn't know if she should, because right now she felt he wasn't hers anymore. She had somehow lost him and she wanted him back so badly.

'See what happens', Leonard thought, it was the best solution, he gave her a small smile and nodded. "Is that what you truly want?" he asked her.

"Yes, do you." Penny responded. She thought, 'Please Leonard, don't think too much, see that I love you'.

"Yes, I do too." Leonard told her, which made Penny smile. He was hers again.

Penny leaned over slowly kissing his cheek, and found she couldn't bring herself to move, she needed to touch him. The moment before, when she thought she lost him, felt like an eternity, and now she wanted, no needed, him more. Penny closed her eyes, her nose brushing his ear, the feel of his skin, soothing to her, so it didn't even register, he had pulled the car over. Penny's mind concentrated only on him, so when he turned his head, she almost jumped and opened her eyes, but then she felt his lips and all was right with her world again.

Sheldon was still sitting at Leonard's desk, at the computer, he had been sitting there since Alex left, he had been unable to move. Leonard's project was more than the experimental physics he practiced, it was both theoretical and experimental, it was all of physics and it was amazing. Sheldon couldn't even follow some of his theories or calculations, but he knew from reading the draft of Leonard's paper that Leonard knew exactly what he was doing. He could also see the parts of the project that Alex had done, and he saw she had a better grasp of Leonard's work than him. Sheldon wasn't surprised Alex needed Leonard back to continue, but he also knew he couldn't help, and that is what bothered him the most, Leonard was going to be famous if he finished this and Sheldon would have to learn to live in his shadow.

Across town another person was looking at a computer screen and was having the same foreboding like Sheldon, Judge Nora Holden had just open an email from the state judiciary review board's office. They were going to do an audit of her cases, for the last 12 months, and they wanted to start with the case concerning the pregnant actress, Penelope. Normally Judge Holden would not have concerned herself with an audit, but their request for a case that was an obvious screw up, meant they heard something and that was not good for Nora. She knew many times investigated judges would retire when these audits commenced and so the audit would never be finished, and Nora decided, that since she eligible, maybe it was time for her to do the same.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Penny and Leonard were now talking, and the trip back home went quick. The tension was still there, but as they talked, they were able to deal with it together, and things got better. By the time they pulled into the driveway of Penny's home they were smiling and entered the house hand in hand, to the smells of Penny's moms home cooked dinner. The warmth of the home and the smell of good food, made them hurry up the stairs to get ready for dinner, giggling like to teenagers, Leonard tickled at Penny's new love affair with food, since she became pregnant.

Wyatt had watched them come in, they had been smiling and holding hands, so the doctor's visit wasn't too bad, he thought. Wyatt had watched Penny grow up and seen all her moods, and he knew she was happy, Leonard was good for her, he could tell, and over the last five years she knew him, she had never said anything bad about him. Just the opposite, she would visit and tell him everything Leonard did, she had never done that with anyone else. Wyatt didn't even know who Mike was, or that she had been serious about him, until after she broke up with him for hurting her and mentioned it to him on one of her visits. Now as he watched Leonard and his daughter, he couldn't help but think they acted like kids, as they walked by from outside, they were wearing the matching padded and lined jacket hoodies, it was cold in Nebraska, that they had purchased the day before. Wyatt smiled, his daughter was always fashion conscious, he never seen her wear matching clothes of any boy he was with, before Leonard, now she seemed to want everyone know he was hers.

The evening and the next two days went by quickly, with visits, wedding preparations and Leonard helping Wyatt around the farm a little. Leonard actually really enjoyed being around Wyatt, he was more like a father to him, then his own had been, and Wyatt was just fun, he could make people laugh without hurting anyone. It was Wednesday afternoon, when Leonard finally was able to build the courage to make his request to him, it was something he had been thinking about since the first day at the farm. "Wyatt, could teach me to ride a horse?" Leonard asked, thinking, there I said it.

Wyatt looked at Leonard a little bemused, Leonard had helped him in the stable almost every day he was there, and now he thought he knew part of the reason why. "You really want to learn to ride? You told me that your afraid of horses and that one kicked you." Wyatt asked, he was more than surprised at Leonard's request.

"Penny likes to ride and I want to ride with her. If I have to learn to like horses, so be it. Besides, you horses don't seem to bad." Leonard told him, now that he was through the rabbit hole, Leonard was not turning back.

Wyatt smiled, this young man really loved his daughter, he was willing to tackle his fears for her. "Okay son, let me show you how to saddle a horse." Wyatt told Leonard, and so Leonard's lessons began.

Penny was talking to her mother in the kitchen, while she ate some ice cream, she was waiting for Leonard to finish helping her dad, so they could visit her sister. Penny would never rush him, none of her boyfriends had ever helped her dad on the farm, and both her and her mother knew that Wyatt and Leonard were bonding. Her dad considered him already is son, which when thinking about it made Penny all tingly, she loved her dad and his acceptance of her husband into the family, made her happy.

Penny was smiling, talking to her mom, when she looked out of the window, and almost dropped her spoon, Leonard was in the corral on a horse. She was stunned, and blinked her eyes several times to see if the scene would change, but it didn't and then she saw her dad leading the horse and knew it was true. Penny's mom was just telling her something and turned to look at her, when see suddenly realized Penny was gone, seeing her out the window heading to the corral.

Penny walked quietly to the fence and just watched her husband on the horse, she thought he looked so cute. Her dad was teaching Leonard how to control a horse, how to make him turn and stop, and Leonard's face was scrunched up in concentration. Penny suddenly realized how personal this was for Leonard and moved away from the fence to the house, hoping he didn't see her. It was almost to much for her to handle, she wanted to skip all the way back, because she knew Leonard and she knew he was doing this for her, she loved horses and he wanted to ride with her. He was always amazing her.

Alex was at home watching TV, no staring at TV, she didn't even know or care what show was on. Dr Cooper never came back, after the first day, and even with her getting more text's from Leonard, each day she had less and less to do, without him. She only had enough work to keep her busy for a little over an hour today and now they were two days behind their schedule. Leonard had told Dr Gablehauser that he was married and on his honeymoon, but Gablehauser had been in a bad mood all week and had even made a few comments to her in the hall. She hoped he came back soon, because they needed to get the project done and she hated to admit, she missed his company.

Thursday at the doctor's office went very well, and Penny was smiling when she left her therapy and seemed happier. It seemed that Cathy had worked with her solely on the her fear of police and jail, and Penny was understanding her feelings, and getting better. They even passed a police car on the way to their car and Penny didn't even flinch, she was too engrossed telling Leonard a story, to even bother taking notice. Their rest of the day was pleasant and they actually did a little shopping in Omaha much to Penny's delight.

Friday, Penny left Leonard after breakfast, her sister and mother taking her out to look at wedding dresses. Leonard spent the day with Wyatt, and helped with all his farm chores, however once he reached the stables, his riding lessons continued. Today Leonard got to ride by himself, with Wyatt on another horse, and they took them out for almost three hours, which Leonard actually found he enjoyed. However, Leonard had never really ridden a horse and he was not experienced, so shortly after they put the horses away, the pain in his butt started to bother him. Wyatt suggested he lie down to rest, and that is were Penny found him in bed asleep a pillow tucked between his legs.

Penny carefully laid down beside him, looking into his face, he looked so calm and peaceful, it made her heart swell. She laid there over an hour just watching him sleep, then finally she couldn't resist her urges and started to kiss his face. Her kisses were very light, starting with his nose, then his eyes and his cheeks, however, she couldn't get past his lips and when she kissed them, she kisses weren't light anymore. She kept pressing her lips to his, the softness and warmth, she tasted them with her tongue, gently running along them. She felt him start to stir, and she felt guilty for waking him but excited he would kiss her back and when she pressed her lips to his again, she felt him press back.

It was now a half hour later and Leonard and Penny were laying facing each other, just touching each other. "How was your day?" Leonard asked her, it was the first words he said since she woke him up.

"It was okay. I got a dress." Penny answered.

"Just okay?" he asked, "Aren't you a little excited?"

"No not really…..Okay maybe a little…No I'm not excited." she told him, while he smiled at her with a silly grin. "Okay, I'm excited." Penny finally confessed, swatting his arm.

"How did you feel today? You know this is the longest we've been apart for a while. Was is okay?" Leonard asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

"Yes, I guess I was okay, my mom and sister kept me pretty busy, but I did miss you when I was trying out dresses, I wish you could have saw them." Penny told him as she stroked his cheek.

"No we couldn't do that, it would be bad luck. I can't see you till you come down the isle." Leonard teased her. "Don't take this wrong, but will the dress still fit in three month, you know you will probably have a baby bump." Leonard asked.

"Yes it will fit, I got one with a high waist, that will completely hide that I am pregnant." She told them, then thought, "However, they will probably figure it out when I don't drink anything at my own wedding." She said, giggling a little. Penny then smiled at him and sat up to pull off her shirt and bra. "Notice anything different." She asked him, seeing him smile.

"You have a little bump, Oh my God, you have a little baby bump." he said and immediately put his hand on her baby bump, caressing it, and then leaned over and kissed her tummy. "I didn't notice it before." Leonard said, suddenly feeling a little bad.

"I couldn't really tell if I did on our honeymoon night, but this last week it finally formed into something you could see. An since you haven't seen me naked since our honeymoon, I'll forgive you for not noticing." she said smiling at him. "Of course you also notice the other thing." She said, raising a eyebrow, and sticking her chest out a little.

"Your breasts are bigger, definitely a nice perk, when having a pregnant wife. But to be honest, the bump on your tummy, interests me more right now." Leonard told her, Penny smiled. "But I do reserve the right to notice your breasts more in the future." Leonard teased, getting another swat on his arm and a giggle from Penny.

Raj was just leaving the university and was walking his normal route down the hall, past the cafeteria, when he caught a glimpse of Alex, sitting in the corner. Raj stopped dead in his tracks and watched for a few moments, willing every ounce of courage he had for support, as he went into the cafeteria. He didn't know how he made it to her table, his legs felt like jelly, but kept getting closer and closer, until he was standing looking down at her.

Alex had been sitting in the cafeteria for the last hour, going over Leonard's report, anyway she looked at it the conclusion was the same, she was stuck until she talked to him again. They were days behind schedule and Dr Cooper never came back or helped since the first day, and even then he didn't really do anything. She was now just spinning her wheels in place and not getting nowhere, she needed Leonard, and that's another thing that bothered her, she was lonely without him. She was so concentrating on the computer screen in front of her that, she almost jumped out of her skin, when he spoke.

"Alex…Alex, is everything okay?" Raj asked her, when she didn't see him walk up.

Alex took a second to calm down, and then relaxed when she saw it was Raj, she actually liked the idea of having someone to talk to, and now Raj was a little special to her. "Hi Raj, would you like to sit, I could use the company." She told him, watching him nod, smile and sit. She knew he still had trouble speaking, but at least he wasn't mute around her anymore. Alex started to tell him about the problems she was having with the project and how Leonard was needed, Raj was a good listener, but now instead of just nodding he would say a few words and it took away the weirdness of being with him. They talked for an hour, and having someone to talk to, really made Alex feel better, but the cafeteria was closing and it was time to leave.

Alex was really getting to like Raj, as a friend, he was nice, like Leonard, and he never pushed himself on her, he just seemed to be there when she needed someone lately. "Thanks' Raj for listening, I appreciate it." Alex told him, then she gave him a hug. The hug was friendly and when she stepped back she gave him a little wave and turned to go down the hall.

Raj watched her for a second, then turned and resumed his trip to his car, thinking he could still smell her perfume on his clothes. Raj walked to his car, smiling the whole way, thinking how this Leonard must have felt when he first know Penny, he remember how Leonard would get when Penny would kiss his cheek. However, Raj realized this wasn't like Leonard and Penny, because Alex still had a thing for Leonard, and Leonard never had to compete for Penny against the likes of someone like him.

Amy was driving to Sheldon's with Chinese takeout, confused, Sheldon had asked her to come and it was not a normal relationship agreement date night. She thought that Sheldon, Raj and Howard played games on Friday, but maybe since Leonard and Penny were gone, they couldn't play because they needed a fourth. As she parked the car, she decided to stop over thinking things and just enjoy this unexpected date night with Sheldon, and once she decided this, she became very excited. Sheldon had been doing more and more boyfriend stuff with her, and now she would have him tonight, by himself and there would be no interruptions, no one to worry about walking in on them, Amy was getting even more excited.

However, Amy's excitement started to wane when she got to 4A and found the door slightly ajar, this was not something Sheldon would usually do. She entered the apartment and got a second surprise, there was no Sheldon, just an empty living room with the TV off, the quiet was eerie. "Sheldon?….Sheldon?" Amy said, knowing in this quiet, Sheldon ears could easily pick up her calling his name, but no one answered. Amy was nervous, but she continued deeper into the apartment, she needed to know if Sheldon was there.

Amy found Sheldon on his bed, in his room, laying in a fetal position, just staring, which worried her. "Sheldon, what is wrong?" She softly asked him, getting no response. She decided to sit next to him, so he would notice her and was shocked when after she sat down, Sheldon scooted up to her and put his head in her lap. It took Amy several seconds to compose herself, Sheldon didn't do things like this, but she thought today must really be bad, so she did something she would have never done before and started rubbing Sheldon's back.

Amy was worried, this was not like Sheldon, he seemed like a normal person upset and seeking human comfort, which surprised her, but also made her feel good, that he was seeking that comfort in her. As her right hand rubbed his back, she slowly started to touch his hair with her left, again surprised that Sheldon made no effort to stop her. His hair was so clean and soft, his back was thin, but she could feel the muscles underneath his shirt, and she still couldn't believe he hadn't tensed up at all from her touching him, he even seemed to be relaxing.

Sheldon, had not been feeling right since he had seen Leonard's project, and he had fixated on it all week, keeping in his office, until today had gotten to much. He didn't even know why he asked Amy to come over, but now that she was there, he felt a huge relief flood over him and her back rubs reminded him of how his mother use rub his back when he was sad. Sheldon, couldn't help to think what a good girlfriend Amy was, smart, pretty and comforting, she was perfect, and he was glad she was here.

Sheldon slowly, reached up and grabbed Amy's left hand and pulled it down to his chest, he just wanted to hold it, and then after he got it, he kissed her palm. "Thank you, Amy Farrah Fowler." escaped his mouth, it seemed so natural to say it, he didn't even give it a second thought, and didn't even see the shocked expression on Amy's face.


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Penny and Leonard came down for dinner, a pillow in her hand for her husband's cute sore butt. Leonard was so embarrassed, but his butt was so tender, he didn't think he make through dinner without some form of cushion. Penny told him it was common when one was saddle-sore to need a pillow to sit, which really didn't help his self confidence at all. Leonard was sitting with his pillow on the dining room chair, while Penny helped her mother with dinner, when Wyatt walked in carrying a pillow, himself, giving Leonard a pained smile.

The rest of the evening, Penny noticed Leonard was fine, and completely enjoying himself, so when the evening was done, before she retired with her husband, she kissed her daddy goodnight. "Thank you daddy." she whispered and smiled, Wyatt just nodded.

Amy rubbed Sheldon's back, while he held her hand, she still was a little stunned at what she was doing, and thought something really bad must have happened for him to change so suddenly. "Sheldon, I brought some food. Food would probably make you feel better." she hoped some food and getting out of bed would get him talking.

"Okay, maybe your right." he slowly lifted himself out of bed and walked to living room, never letting go of Amy's hand.

Amy followed him, wide eyed, as he took her into the kitchen and to the food. She thought he was going to serve the food one handed, but he let her hand go, only after he pulled her close to him. Amy could hardly concentrate, Sheldon was so close, their bodies rubbed together every time they moved. She kept telling herself she was here to comfort Sheldon, but the temperature in his apartment seemed to going up with each minute she was there. By the time they had their food and drinks on the coffee table Amy was burning up, so she removed her sweater, putting on the back of the chair, then as she turned to get her food, she saw him staring at her.

"What Sheldon." Amy looked at him, trying to figure what she did wrong. She looked at his eyes, where they staring at her breasts! She then looked where his eyes were going and realized that the white shirt she was wearing was slightly transparent and she forgot because she never took off her sweater, so the black bra she wore, wouldn't be seen by anyone, she thought.

Sheldon, wasn't use to her not in sweaters, so the more form fitting shirt only showed off her womanly assets, however, the black bra behind the shirt, was something he couldn't tear his eyes off of. The way she had comforted him in his bedroom had brought back the joys of his childhood and his mother, but sitting with her now, she didn't remind him of his mother. He forced himself to look at her face, and she was staring at him, her mouth slightly open, her lips, her lips, her lips, he couldn't tear his eyes from her lips, they were inviting him to come closer. It felt so good when she rubbed his back and hair, wouldn't her lips be wonderful too, Sheldon had to know, so he bent down and kissed her.

Michael was coming home from dinner with Dawn, like most Friday nights, they both worked late, so having dinner at a restaurant was their normal routine. They both had gotten back to work and things were back to normal for them, but they both now missed their family, so they were trying to adjust to this new normal. Another thing Dawn was adjusting to was not drinking, she and Michael had been trying since that night in California, and she was not taking any chances, this was another part of their new normal.

"Honey, I got an interesting email from my friend in California on the Attorney Generals staff. It seems a certain Judge Nora Holden from Family Court announced her retirement yesterday." she held her phone to Michael so he could read the email, however he noticed that his wife seemed disturbed.

Michael just looked at her, "She hurt my sister-in-law, your sister-in-law, now maybe Penny will have some justice, since she didn't get any before."

"You had me punish her, what if someone wanted to do that to me?" she looked at him with doubt in her eyes, wondering if she did the right thing?

Michael took her hands, and softly spoke to his wife, "I have been involved in cases where people only did the wrong thing once, and yet they are still punished. She was a judge, she is suppose to know better, she doesn't get a second chance, when she doesn't believe in giving the people in her court second chances. You live by the sword, you die by the sword, at least she didn't have to go to jail like Penny." Dawn just nodded.

Penny entered the bedroom with a bottle of what looked like oil, immediately getting Leonard's attention. "What's that?" Leonard pointed to the bottle she was holding.

"It's like an oil and medicine mix that we put on places that are saddle-sore, to take some of the pain away. So drop your drawers, Sweetie." Penny then put a towel in the middle of the bed and patted it, indicating Leonard should lay there. Leonard did as told and laid on his belly, only dressed in his T-shirt, as Penny spread the mixture on his butt, rubbing it in with her left hand. She planned to quickly to cover his butt, rub it in and then go to bed, however, Leonard had a cute butt, and she was really enjoying herself rubbing it.

Penny was thinking about the tub in the Denver hotel, she really wished she was back to normal, physically, here she was a newlywed and she couldn't have sex. It really wasn't fair, being newlyweds they were suppose to make love all the time, and she really liked making love with Leonard, she felt like she was being cheated, which made her sigh. She was brought out of her trance, by the man she had her hand on, "What's wrong, baby?" he was looking at her.

"Nothing Sweetie." she lied to him, but her face was betraying her.

Leonard sat up in the bed, so his face was nose to nose with her and gave her a kiss. He then gently put his hand to the side of her face and cradled it, "Penny, what's wrong."

Penny swallowed, that promise she made herself kept coming back to haunt her, no deceiving Leonard, no more. "It's just we're newlyweds, and look at me, I'm a mess and I feel inadequate. We can barely cuddle, only then after a lot of preparation, and the only way I have been able to even share my love with you is in a small pool, tub, whatever. "

"Honey, that's okay, you'll get better soon, then we can stay in bed making love a whole weekend, if you want. You know if we tried it now it would hurt because you can't move and twist without your ribs hurting." he gave her another kiss.

Penny put her head on Leonard's shoulder. "I know, but it's hard, you know, I can't even put oil on your butt without getting aroused, and I've had this urge to ravish you for the last few days."

Leonard smiled at his beautiful wife who was tucked into his shoulder, she was a creature of passion, it was one of the reasons, he loved her so much. "Honey, I want you to lie down on your back."

Penny lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him, she was confused, "Why Sweetie?"

Leonard gave her a little smile, "No talking, just lie down on your back. I am now taking over your sexual needs."

Penny suddenly understood what he wanted, "That's okay Honey, you don' have to…" but she stopped talking when he put his finger to her lips, and gently put her down on her back. She felt a little powerless against him, it was an unbelievable turn on for her.

Leonard arranged the pillows around her, so she was comfortable, then slowly unbuttoned her shirt and unclasped her bra, all the time looking into her eyes. He wouldn't let her move, she was just to lie there, and all the time he moved over her, giving her gentle kisses on her lips and her body. This went on for a while, the feel of Leonard's mouth and tongue getting her more and more aroused, until she just closed her eyes and moaned. It made her smile when he started kissing her tummy, but then made her moan again when he removed her pants and panties and started kissing her body again. Penny use to joke that Leonard was the 'King of Foreplay', she would never joke about that again, this was incredible, and her only thought during the ecstasy he was driving her to, was 'Long live the King'.

Amy slowly woke about 6 AM, like she did every day, but today was Saturday and this wasn't her bed, for a fraction of a second, she panicked, but quickly recovered, she knew where she was. A long arm was draped over her, across her waist, and the second arm ran under her pillow to hold her across her chest, and she remembered those arms where Sheldon's. Sheldon had kissed her last night, then held her for a long time in a hug, only releasing her to kiss her again, they actually made out, but it was a consoling make out, it was very slow and sweet, Sheldon was still upset. When in came time for him to bed, he just asked her to simply stay with him, she couldn't deny him, so here she was, she spent the night being cuddled by Sheldon and it was the best night of her life.

When Sheldon said they need emergency bags at each other's house, in case they got stranded, she never thought she would use hers, but he was a genius, and she was wearing her pajamas from her bag now. She still wondered what got him so upset that he seemed to throw out the rules to do this, but again, she greedily wondered if his getting over this problem would result in things becoming the same again, because she didn't want to go back. She decided it was too much for her mind this morning, she was warm, comfortable and happy, so she closed her eyes and went back to sleep, the only thought left in her mind was the hope Sheldon slept late this morning.

Penny woke up in her cool room, buried in the covers, wrapped in her husband's arms, and as content as she could be. She smiled as she thought of last night, her man was amazing, he completely took care of her sexual needs. Also, last night was mind-blowing, she had never just laid there and had a man devote himself to just please her, what an experience it was. She remembered being told by her married friends that you really don't know a man until you marry him, and they were right, the more she got to know Leonard, the more she knew that marrying him was the best thing she ever did in her life. And it wasn't just the sex, although that was fantastic, she just loved being around him, he was interesting, cute, funny and the perfect gentleman, she was proud to be his wife.

However, now Penny had to go to the bathroom, it was the one thing about pregnancy she really disliked. Here she was warm, comfortable and being snuggled, really not wanting to get out of bed, and she had to leave her nest to go the bathroom. No it just wasn't fair, didn't Mother Nature know that pregnant women needed all the cuddling they could get, having to pee was really cutting into her cuddling time.

Penny got in a couple more hours of cuddling in after she woke Leonard up for her bathroom break, and a lot of kisses too. She was so hungry when they finally ate breakfast and she whispered to Leonard that it was because of all the sex she had last night, because she had to regain her strength. After breakfast she had a nice soothing warm bath, Leonard even washed her back, then she took a nap, her husband working on his laptop while she slept. He was always pampering her, and she loved it, when she woke up, he gave her a kiss then went to take a shower. As Penny laid in the bed, listening to his shower, she glanced at his still open laptop, there was an email open and she could see it was from Alex. Penny trusted Leonard, but she would never be completely free of jealousy, so she got up and read his email. He took a long shower, so she got to read them all, and then she wished she didn't, because it was obvious that Leonard had to go back to Cal Tech and finish his project. Penny didn't want to go back yet and she didn't want Leonard to leave her, but his job was important, he was main source of steady income for their family, she didn't know what to do.


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The morning was certainly different for Amy, she woke up in Sheldon's arms, had breakfast with him, showered in his bathroom and was now lounging in her emergency bag sweat suit on his couch watching TV, actually leaning against him, with his arm around her. She had woken up early, then fell asleep again, only to wake up to the feel of Sheldon gently stroking her hair, she had laid there for a half hour, enjoying the feeling, before she let him know she was awake. However, she now felt she had taken advantage of him too much and she needed to help him with whatever was causing him to act so oppose to who he was.

"Sheldon, do you want to talk about what is bothering you." she felt him tense a little, but he didn't move, if anything his arm got a little tighter around her.

Amy waited for almost 20 minutes before she pressed him again. "Sheldon, I'm here to talk to, maybe I can help."

"I don't know, maybe you can, but I don't know." he sighed, then looked down at her. She looked so beautiful and her hair was so soft where it touched his skin. He actually really enjoyed sleeping with her last night, she was so soft, warm and smelled so good. Maybe this was another thing Leonard was smarter than him about, girlfriends made you feel good, when things were not good for you.

"Amy, you know that project Leonard is working on?" he looked at her and saw her nod. "Well I read it and it's…..it's….I never knew Leonard could do things like that." Sheldon sighed, looking at Amy again.

"Are you saying, it is good?" Amy looked up into his eyes, he was really sad.

"He discovered a way to use lasers to detect subatomic particles and it seems the testing at the Super Collider verified his theory. His work could lead to the determination of how the universe was created." again he sighed.

"Oh my Sheldon, that is amazing." Amy couldn't help being impressed, Leonard was her friend too, but she could see it bothered Sheldon.

"I couldn't even understand most of how he developed his theory, but his draft report gave a clear description of what he was doing and the some of the conclusions. The actually theory he used and equations he developed, I couldn't understand…..but Alex could." Sheldon got up and walked to the kitchen, obviously bothered about everything he just told her.

Amy sat and watched him, so that was it, Leonard was making a big discovery, he was making a significant contribution to science, and Sheldon was having doubts about himself because of it. She could see it in him, he could see Leonard moving ahead in his career and himself not going nowhere and he couldn't understand why. He was loosing his self confidence and faith in his own intelligence, that was who he was, without his intelligence he was no one.

"Sheldon, that doesn't mean Leonard is smarter than you, you do work that Leonard can't understand all the time. He is an expert with lasers, and you don't work with them, so he can see things about them, you wouldn't notice. It is the same with string theory, you are an expert in that, Leonard is clueless about what you do." she watched him stop to think.

Sheldon shook his head trying to clear it. "Amy, I have devoted my life to science and Leonard spent the last 6 years either chasing Penny or some other girl, while I have worked tirelessly, ignoring my emotional urges. I should be the one making a discovery not him."

Amy's happiness that ran from last night to now, was now washed away. "Sheldon are you saying that being with me was a distraction from your work and your career?" she was about to cry.

"No! I am saying that I may have been wrong about emotions and my work." then he got very quiet. "Leonard may have been right all the time, denying emotions does more harm then good."

Amy didn't understand, did Sheldon just say that giving way to your emotions was good? It that what was happening, he was giving into his emotions, with her, trying to be more like Leonard. "Sheldon, what does that mean for us."

Sheldon walked back to her and sat down, taking her face in his hand. "Amy, I am not going to suppress my feelings for you anymore. I am going to try it Leonard's way, at least as much as I can. I have learned to touch you, you are as clean and careful as me, so I trust you that I won't get germs from you. I actually like touching you, I even have liked kissing you. I enjoyed last night, I think I can continue to do those things, if they are alright with you. Doing more….we'll just have to see. Is that okay, Amy?"

Amy was stunned, Sheldon wanted to take a leap in their relationship. "Yes Sheldon, of course it is alright with me."

Sheldon nodded, her eyes looked up at him, they were beautiful, and her lips so inviting, so Sheldon kissed her.

Penny felt horrible, she was deceiving Leonard, and she hated herself, but she couldn't talk to him about what was bothering her now. She didn't know what to do, she couldn't talk to him until she knew what she was going to do. She knew the right thing was for him to go back to work, he needed to do that, it was the only thing that made logical sense. However, that would mean they would be separated, because she didn't want to go back to California, at least right now. She didn't want to be separated from him, she needed him, he made her world happy, just being with him made things better. What was she going to do?

The weekend was rough for Penny, she had to perform the hardest acting of her life, she had to act like everything was normal. She could tell he was thinking about something the whole weekend and he would get distracted sometimes. She hoped he didn't bring his work up with her, because she knew she would cry and beg him to stay and she knew that was wrong. It seemed the tension would build in her each day and when she finally went to sleep, wrapped in his arms, it took every ounce of her strength not to cry.

Monday, was actually a relief for Penny, she had to talk to someone, and she had a session with Cathy that afternoon. She actually kept busy all Monday morning and tried to avoid talking to Leonard too much, which was difficult for her, because she liked being around him and talking to him. Even the drive to see Cathy, she acted like she was tired and faked taking a nap in the car, to avoid the subject coming up, and practically ran to Cathy's office, when they got there, making the excuse she thought they were late.

Leonard, sat outside, Cathy's office, waiting for Penny and texting Alex, the stress of his project was getting to him, but he wouldn't leave Penny, for anything, that he was sure of. The university wanted him back to work, this project was not only a big deal for him, it was a big deal for the university, it meant more prestige and money for Cal Tech, so they had a stake in his work, too. But nothing they wanted or even Alex wanted, concerning his project, was worth anything compared to Penny, for him, she would always come first to him. The problem was, although he had accepted anything that could happen to him by putting Penny first in his life, Alex was getting hell about the project and him back at Cal Tech, and he didn't know what to do.

Penny hated Cathy at this moment, Cathy made her understand what she should do, and she hated her for it, because she knew she had to do it. It was letting Leonard go back to California to work, it was important because he needed it for his career, and she needed to learn to function without him being beside her all the time. Cathy also said this was really a good thing for Penny, because it would help her feel more in control of her life again, if she was on her own for a little while. Penny thought, if this was such a good thing, why did she feel more like her life was coming to an end, telling Leonard to leave her.

Penny had been very quiet, after she left Cathy's office, and Leonard didn't know if that was good or bad, she was obviously thinking hard about something. A tiny piece of his mind hoped she would be telling him she wanted to go back to California now, she was well, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. The silence in the car was maddening however, he really wanted to know what she was thinking about so her could help her. "Honey, is something wrong? You seem preoccupied with something." he hoped his question would generate a conversation.

Penny was now stuck, she either told him a lie, refused to talk to him, or told him the truth. The problem was she didn't want to lie to him and she promised not to shut him out when something concerning them needed to be said. That only left her one choice, the one she hated and if she started talking, it would happen, he would leave and she didn't know if she could stand it. Penny sucked in a breathe, she had to say it before she started crying, "Sweetie, you need to go to back home and finish your project." there she said it, 'Oh Crap' she thought, now he going to leave.

"Huh? Where did this come from? I'm not going anywhere, without you." he kept turning his head looking at her, while driving, in disbelief.

"Honey, I'm sorry, but I looked at your laptop and saw your emails, Alex says your project paper has ground to a halt and the university is wanting you back. You have to go back." Penny felt terrible, she was about to cry.

"Alex, is just a grad student, what does she know, and screw the university! I have a right to spend time with you, dammit you are my wife, if they don't like it, who freaking cares!" Leonard was madder than Penny had seen him in a long time.

Penny now realized how right Cathy was, they had gotten to a point, where the outside world didn't exist for them anymore, the only thing they cared about was each other, but now the outside world was wanting them and they both didn't want to go back. Penny didn't want to do this, but she was understanding that she had to let Leonard leave and do his job, she had to let go of him sometime, and now was the time. "Leonard, you have to go and finish your work. Me and the baby, need you be the best you can be and take care of us, we both need you to continue on, and part of that is your work." She bit her lip, trying not to cry, she hated herself for saying that to him, he was taking care of them, but she needed him to understand. The expression on his face now was killing her, she wished Cathy had talked to him, she wanted to hug him not fight with him.

Leonard didn't say a thing for the next 30 minutes, and it was driving Penny crazy, she felt so bad, she just knew she hurt him. "Honey, talk to me." she stared at him trying will him to speak.

"I'll check on flights when we get back to the house." Leonard then went silent again, all the way back to the house.

Once back in Penny's parent's house, Leonard went to their room with his laptop, to see what flights were available. Penny knew they would fight sometimes, even though they loved each other, but this first time was really getting to her, because it wasn't really a fight, it was something they both didn't want to do, but they had too. Leonard was going to leave there in a short time, she didn't want him to be mad at her, she just wanted to hold him till he left. She wanted him to talk to her, tell her everything was going to be fine and hold her until he had to leave. She went to the room, he was in, and found him just sitting with his laptop staring at the screen. "Honey, I'm sorry."

Leonard turned his head to her, he hadn't ever realized she walked in. "Oh, Me too. I'm leaving at 11 AM tomorrow morning." It really hit him that he was leaving her, when he got the ticket confirmation, and he was feeling like it wasn't really happening.

Penny took a couple of steps to him and he stood up to cover the remaining distance between them, then took her into a hug. They didn't say anything but stood and hugged each other, until they finally heard Penny's mom tell them dinner was ready. They held hands the whole evening, even while eating dinner, they slept holding each other tight, as much as Penny could stand, and then held hands the next day, up to the point where Leonard had to let go to enter airport security. The last glimpse she had of him was when he passed through the metal detector, and she lost sight of him, it felt like she had lost a part of her soul, when she realized he was now really gone.


	85. Chapter 85

**I AM SORRY FOR THE UPDATES NOT BEING AS REGULAR. IT IS MOTORCYCLE WEATHER AND I HAVE BEEN WITH MY BIKE THE LAST THREE DAYS. I REALLY LIKE RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE, SO I CAN'T PROMISE REGULAR UPDATES RIGHT NOW, SORRY, I WILL TRY AND DO MY BEST.**

Chapter 85

Leonard arrived in California a little after 2 PM and was greeted by Howard and Raj in the baggage claim area, Penny had told them he was coming. They dropped him off at Penny's apartment, no that wasn't right, the Hofstadter's apartment and he thanked them and told them he'd see them later. After they left, Leonard stood in the middle of the apartment, it felt so weird, this was his apartment now too, it was his new home, it felt so surreal to him. He shook his head to break the trance and picked up his phone to text Penny that he was home.

Penny was back at her mother's house laying in her bed, she had told her parents she was tired after the airport trip, but really she just wanted to lay in bed and cry. She couldn't believe how alone she felt, she rubbed her baby bump and told her baby how much she missed her daddy, then grabbed Leonard's pillow and hugged it, she could smell him in it, still. The beeping of her phone, brought her out of her misery, as soon as she saw the text from Leonard.

_**I'M HOME NOW. THANKS FOR CALL RAJ & HOWARD. HOW ARE YOU. XOXOXO**_

She was so happy to hear from him, she felt stupid, because she was actually worrying about him since the moment he left. She first typed 'I MISS YOU' but erased it, she didn't want him feeling bad, after all she had made him go, she needed to make sure he felt good about leaving and about working.

_**HONEY, I'M OK. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. ME & BABY LOVE YOU. XOXOXO**_

She felt that was safe, he should feel alright with that text, but 'God' she missed him so much already.

_**LOVE YOU BOTH TOO. I'M TAKING CAR AND GOING TO WORK FOR A **_

_**WHILE. TALK TO YOU LATER. XOXOXO**_

Penny sighed, she was thinking they would be communicating more, but he had to work, that is why he went back. This was already not working out the way she thought, she was lonely and unhappy, she wanted Leonard back.

_**OK HONEY. PLEASE CALL ME LATER. LOVE YOU. XOXOXO**_

Leonard found Penny's car keys, in the bowl near the door, he chuckled, hanging around him and Sheldon, had got her into the habit of putting her keys in a bowl near the door. His moment of happiness was short-lived, when he remembered he was going to be driving Penny's car and he really wondered if it would start, because it just had just sat in their parking lot, since they had gotten in from the police impound lot. That car was going as soon as she got back, she had the money now and he was going to make sure she got a new car, so he didn't have to worry about her in that death trap.

Penny's car did start and actually got him to Cal Tech, but he now knew why the check engine light bothered Sheldon so much, he couldn't take his eyes off it himself, the whole way, expecting something to happen any minute. He had text Alex as soon as he realized he was going to get there in Penny's car and she was waiting in his office when he arrived at 5 PM. "Thanks for coming so late, Alex. If you could just catch me up on where you are, I can get to work, and you can get out of here." Leonard turned on his computer while Alex stepped behind him to explain her work, as soon as his system booted up.

It was 10 PM before, Leonard realized how late it was, he was tired and hungry and he guessed Alex felt the same way. Alex had worked with him all evening, and they had caught up quite a bit, in the past few hours, probably a whole day. "Alex, lets call it a night, I'm tired and hungry and I know you haven't eaten. Let me treat you to a late dinner." Leonard smiled at her and Alex smiled back and nodded.

Alex and Leonard found a late night burger joint and had a hamburger and fries, eating and just talking for about an hour. Alex was feeling so happy, this was what she had been missing, working and being close to Leonard, and now things seemed so right again. They just talked about the project, their mutual friends, their interests and other subjects they shared, it was like they were the only two people in the world to her, she loved this time with him. She hated when they went to leave, and when he walked her to her car to make sure she got their safe, for a brief moment, she wanted to kiss him goodnight.

It was midnight when Leonard got back to the apartment, he figured it was too late to call Penny, but she did say please call her, so he dialed.

"Hi Sweetie. Did you just get home." Leonard could tell from Penny's voice he woke her up.

"Sorry Honey, I didn't want to wake you up, why don't you go back to sleep and I'll call you tomorrow." He knew she would be asleep, he shouldn't have called this late.

"No please, talk to me. I want to hear your voice, tell me what you did today." she begged him.

Leonard spent the next twenty minutes, telling her, in detail, everything he did that day, Penny made him tell her all, while she laid there and listened. Penny then told him what she did and tried to make it sound upbeat, even though that day had been hard on her, him being away. Finally, she started getting sleepy again, his voice was soothing to her, and Leonard was tired too. So they exchange mutual 'I Love You's' and both reluctantly hung up, tomorrow would be their first full day without each other.

Leonard slept hard for a good six hours and really didn't feel too bad the next morning, he figured a little bit of coffee and he would be good for the day. He had just finished dressing, when he heard something that actually made him smile.

Knock, knock, knock….Leonard

Knock, knock, knock….Leonard

Knock, knock, knock….Leonard

Leonard opened the door, "Hey Sheldon, long time no see."

"Leonard, Howard told me you were back and that I should ride with you this morning."

"Really, was Howard suppose to drive you today?" Leonard was still smiling, Sheldon hadn't changed a bit.

"Yes, Wednesday is his day, but he said he couldn't put up with…..well I refuse to talk that way, anyway he said it was your turn."

Leonard snickered, "Okay, let me get my bag and we can go."

The drive with Sheldon to work was a little strange, Leonard thought Sheldon would be a little happy to be traveling with him again, but Sheldon was quiet the whole trip. Leonard thought maybe he was having problems with Amy, he didn't have any idea how their relationship was going, he had been out of touch for a while. Well Sheldon is Sheldon, so Leonard decided to just enjoy the quiet, he would tell him what was on his mind if he wanted him to know.

Sheldon couldn't believe how weird it felt to be riding in the car with Leonard, like nothing had happened. Sheldon, always thought that Leonard driving him to work, was one of the few real accomplishments Leonard was doing in the field of Physics, after all someone had to serve a person like Sheldon, so that he could solve the mysteries of the universe. However now Leonard and Alex where the darlings of the Physics Department, and Leonard was only driving him as a favor, there was no roommate agreement between them anymore. Also, when Penny came back, he would probably not even do things for him anymore, he would fuss over Penny now, and she would control him. None of this was right, Leonard was suppose to be around for Sheldon's needs, not getting married and making discoveries in Physics. Sheldon also knew when everything started going wrong, that lead them to this time, he had told Leonard it had been a bad idea to talk to Penny that first day she moved in.

The rest of the week for Leonard was a routine, take Sheldon to work, spend 12-14 hours on his project, eat when he remembered and talk to Penny before he went to bed. It was Friday night, before it really dawned on him that Alex was putting in the same hours as him, without complaint, and they had been spending almost 15 hours of each day together. Leonard was appreciative but it made him a little concerned that she was giving up any life she had to work so hard with him. She needed to relax and take the weekend off, and he decided to tell her that, when they ate their usual late dinner tonight.

Leonard treated Alex to one to the chain restaurants, so she could actually get a good meal, instead of the hamburgers they had been eating all week. Alex was really enjoying herself, it was like it had been in Switzerland, almost a month ago, just the two of them, enjoying a meal and talking. Since Leonard had come back, she had been happy all the time, she was spending her whole day with him, it seemed, and she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. They had been talking about work, then had changed to talking about Star Wars and the upcoming Star Trek movie, which was something Leonard was excited about and listening to him made her excited too.

"Alex, we'll probably all go together when the Star Trek movie comes out in May, you should come along with us." Leonard then gave her a big friendly smile.

"I'd love too. The guys wouldn't mind?" Alex thought, 'Please say no. I want to go, so much.'

"No, of course not. There will probably be other girls with us anyways." he nodded and smiled.

"Ok, that will be fun." she wondered, 'What other girls, will the wives be there? Penny may not like it if I am there.'

"Alex there is something else I wanted to ask you. You have been working all the time on the project, I've got nothing better to do, right now, but you have to have a life outside of Cal Tech. Please don't spend all your time on the project, if you got other things to do, there must be other things you want to do that this boring project." he looked at her seriously now.

Alex thought, 'I'm spending time with you, I am not bored at all, I am happy.' But she said "No Leonard, to tell you the truth, since this project is my dissertation, I don't really feel comfortable working or doing anything else than getting it done. That is sort of the way I am, I get obsessed, so just let me help you get this done, it is what feels right to me now." she lied, would he believe her.

Leonard didn't really expect that kind of response, he thought for a moment, "Well okay, I don't want to make you obsess."

They were at dinner for an hour and a half, then Leonard made sure Alex got to her car and drove off safely, before he rushed home to call Penny. Penny answered after the first ring, she needed her Leonard fix for the day.

"Hi Honey, how was your day?" Penny just wanted to listen to his voice, it soothed her.

"Really good, we have caught up a lot on the project. I think, with the work I do this weekend, I will be back on schedule on Sunday. Alex is a great report writer, and with the stuff I have been giving her, she is truly getting things together quick." Penny could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Honey, don't work that poor girl to death. Is she okay after everything that happened to her?" Penny's worrying about Alex, make Leonard smile, Penny was obviously getting better, she wasn't concerned about what happened to her anymore, even though what happened to her was worse than what happened to Alex.

"Yeah I think so, she said that it doesn't bother her, since it happened half way across the world, and you can't even tell she was hurt anymore. She also told me that she is obsessed with getting this done, because it will be used for her doctorate dissertation. Besides I feed her every night when we're done for the day." Leonard chuckled at the last part, making Penny chuckle.

"Well as long as you feed her, then I guess it is alright. But remember what a jealous person I am." Penny chuckled.

"Honey, I don't know if I will be ever able to tell you how much I love you. I am so happy, that you are my wife and carrying our child, I would never knowingly do anything to ruin the life we have together, you know that don't you? You know I adore you? It is like that 'Jerry McGuire' movie you made me watch, 'You complete me.' I would never want anyone else, no one could replace you." Tears were coming down Penny's cheeks while she listened to him. He always made her feel loved, and wanted, she wished she could hold him in her arms right now, she just wanted to cuddle her husband.

"I love you so much too. Leonard I can't stand being away from you, I want to be with you. I want to come home to our apartment. I thought it would be fun to be home a while, but ever since you left, I realized you are my home." There she said it, and it was true, she wanted to be with him more than anything else.

"Are you sure Honey? Don't you have a doctor's appointment on Monday? Shouldn't you talk to her first, honey and make sure. I want you here so bad, but I really want to make sure you are prepared. Please talk to Cathy before you decide, okay." Leonard was worried, he didn't want her rushing things, he wanted her to feel well before she came back.

"I guess you're right, I should check with Cathy, but as soon as she tells me it is okay, I am in the car and heading home. I'll be going crazy this weekend, waiting for Monday, you realize." Penny was now a little excited and Leonard could hear it in her voice.

"No! No driving back to California. I will make a flight reservation for you Monday night, I would worry myself to a early grave if I had to wait two days for to drive home. No way, you're driving, you are flying." Leonard left Penny no room for discussion, which made her happy, she would see him sooner. Suddenly the thought of sleeping with him on Monday night made her smile ear-to-ear.

"Honey, what about your car?" Penny just remembered the catch to his plan.

"It is only a car. We'll get in later. We have your car here, and you wanted to buy a new car, so that will give us two cars, until we can go back a pick the other one up. So no excuses, you are flying." Penny loved take charge Leonard.

"Yes, dear." she giggled. They ended up talking another two hours, until Penny's phone started to beep from running out of charge. It wasn't as hard to hang up this night, Penny knew she was going to see him on Monday and she went to sleep that night with a smile on her face.

The weekend flew by for Leonard, except for he would loose his concentration, every so often, thinking about Penny coming back to him, he was getting excited about seeing her Monday too. Alex and him had put in about 8-10 hours each day and were now ahead of schedule. Leonard and Alex also ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and Saturday night went out to a science fiction movie with Raj and Howard. Sheldon couldn't go because it was laundry night. Alex had one of the best weekends she could remember since the Switzerland trip. Being around Leonard all weekend made her happy, and she sat between Leonard and Raj at the movie again, she was beginning to like Raj, being around too.

Monday was a busy day for the legal staff of the three major news networks, each network's executive officer was served a summons, for the lawsuit Michael was working against them. Michael was licensed to practice law in all the New England states, and the networks were all headquartered in New York, so he filed his compliant in New York county, they were being sued for slander and character defamation of his client, Penny. At first the summons were considered a joke, until one by one the legal departments realized who was suing them, the lawyer who had already won a big case against a network. Big meetings were scheduled for Tuesday, between legal and the heads of the networks, to discuss what they were going to do.

Penny knew nothing of this, when she sat down on Cathy's couch at 1 PM Monday, she was just nervous about what Cathy was going to say when she told her she was going home.

"Well Penny how are you today?" Cathy was smiling and very friendly.

"Cathy, I want to go home. I want to be with my Husband." Penny stared at her, biting her lip.

Cathy was still smiling, "What about all we talked about, aren't you worried about the police and jail?"

"Michael said that is all over and they can't lock me up. Screw the cops, I miss my husband and I want to be with him. We have only been married two weeks. I'm a newlywed! He is were my home is. I want to be with him." Penny now waited for Cathy to speak.

Cathy looked at her for a few minutes, but still smiled. "I'll let Andy know you'll be coming home, so you can see him if you want, okay. I would suggest you see him at least once, about a week after you get there, or earlier if you need to."

"Really, it is okay!" Penny was really surprised.

"Penny, the whole idea was to get you back into a place where you could go back and not be traumatized. So now you have found something that is more important to you then the pain you went through. That pain has been put back behind other things in your life, and soon it will be just a bad memory and won't control your life anymore. So if you feel like you will be alright to go back, yes then you are okay to go back. Just promise me if the pain comes back, you will see Andy immediately." Cathy watched the smile form on Penny's face.

"I promise, thank you Cathy." Penny got up to hug Cathy, her day was turning out to be awesome. Penny had packed the day before and Leonard had gave her the airline information, she was leaving after dinner and she would sleep with her husband tonight in their apartment. When she said goodbye to Cathy and left her office, she was floating on a cloud, she was about to bust from the joy she was feeling. 5 hours later she was still terribly excited as she boarded her plane to California and home.


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The joy Penny felt, when she saw Leonard at the airport, was overwhelming, she hugged him so hard, she made her ribs hurt, but that didn't stop her. She was still kissing him when she heard Bernadette clear her throat, and she finally noticed that Amy, Bernadette, Raj and Howard were there too, to greet her. She loved that her friends were there, but she also wanted to be alone with Leonard, however, being able to hold him and touch him made her feel immensely better and too happy to let anything get her down.

Penny, her husband and her friends had a late dinner, and talked for a little while, Penny was realizing how much she missed everyone and was even happier to be back. Finally after they said goodbye to their friends, they drove home, Penny getting excited again to be alone with Leonard, really alone with him. However, she got a little worried, when they entered the apartment building, she didn't know how she would take three flights of stairs and poor Leonard would be stuck making two trips with her bags. Leonard quickly put her fears to rest as he walked over and pushed the up button on the elevator, and to Penny's delight the doors opened.

The feeling Penny had when she opened her apartment door and walked in, was almost overpoweringly, she really felt like she was home. This was her home, with her stuff, it was her comfort zone, and now it contained her husband. She turned to look at Leonard and saw him standing there watching her, and she gave him a big smile. "Honey, it feels good to be home."

"I hope home doesn't have to be this apartment, because 5A in available next week and it has two bedrooms." He gave her a weak smile, he really didn't want to push her.

Penny smiled at him. "As long as you are there and all our stuff, I think I can call that home."

Penny laid in bed wrapped in her husbands arms, the covers over both of them, her cocoon, feeling comfortable and relaxed. Leonard and her talked for a while about their plans, while every little while Leonard would plant a kiss on her neck, head, and cheek, Penny loved it. She enjoyed so much making plans with him, it just felt so right, and she didn't even realize it when she fell to sleep, and didn't feel Leonard's final kiss goodnight.

Tuesday, three separate meetings were being held at each of the three major networks, legal departments briefing Chief Executive Officers and Boards of Directors. The meetings were not happy ones for the networks, everything they had broadcasted were lies and they had no one to blame for their broadcasts but themselves. What made things worse for one network, was that they had a talk show, hosted by a bleached blonde big mouthed old bitty, that called Penelope a crack whore, a disgrace to motherhood and said she was a criminal that needed to be locked up, that network got two summons, one for the network and one to the that particular show and host. At first, two of the networks said they would fight the lawsuit, until their legal staff informed them of who was suing them and advised that the third network was already looking to settle out of court because Michael Hofstadter had taken them to the cleaners before, trying to fight him. When their legal department told them about the money, time and bad press they would have to expend, the remaining two network's executives recommended their legal staff to seek out of court settlements, too. So by the end to Tuesday, the three major networks had directed their legal departments to get them out of this fix, by paying Penelope off.

Tuesday for Penny, however, was fun, she never realized shopping for a new car was more fun than shoe shopping. Leonard was a good husband and really didn't exert any influence on her, except to recommend some features she would like, he just let Penny buy what she wanted, after all in was her money. They spent the whole day, going to ten different dealerships, and when they finally drove to dinner, at their restaurant on the beach, in was in Penny's new, red BMW 328 convertible.

The rest of the week for Penny and Leonard went by fast, Penny went to the community college to register and buy books, the next quarter was starting in two weeks, she also paid off all her bills and bought a few things for their new apartment. Leonard worked with Alex on his project, getting ahead of schedule again. The evenings were spend together and with their friends, except for Sheldon, who seemed to be busy all week. It wasn't till Saturday, when Sheldon didn't want to go to the comic book store, that Leonard finally realized something was really wrong, and Penny told him she would talk to Amy.

The next week was even busier, with Leonard and Penny moving from 4B to 5A, Penny would move some during the day, while Leonard would move heavier items at night. Leonard rented some moving dollies and a cart, so all Penny had to do, during the day, was put lighter stuff in the cart and roll it on and off the elevator, on the way to their new apartment. Leonard, Howard and Raj, brought Leonard's boxes from Raj's apartment and one night moved Leonard's bedroom furniture to the new apartment. Sheldon never left his room while they moved the furniture and never said a word to them, even though they had made a lot of noise in the process. Penny's couch and living room furniture went up Friday night and that was the first night Leonard and Penny spent in their new apartment. Saturday saw Penny's bedroom furniture moved to the second bedroom and all remaining items brought up to 5A. Sunday, Leonard and Penny cleaned up Penny's now empty apartment and stood in the now empty living room just staring.

"Wow, it is sort of weird, after all these years, to see your stuff not here in this apartment. How are you feeling?" Leonard looked at his wife, a little concerned.

"It's not my home anymore, upstairs is my home. I don't really have to go across the hall anymore, I have you here with me now. Honey, you know the one thing that always drew me to your apartment was you, I would always be disappointed if I went over and found out you weren't there. I have to confess, I've always had a little thing for you since I met you the first day, I always thought you were so cute and I just wanted to hug and kiss you,

why do you think I would always kiss your cheek." Penny was blushing.

Leonard had a big smile on his face, "I always thought we were just best friends, and you were an affectionate person, to tell you the truth."

"I am I guess, but Honey, I always loved kissing you and I still do." Penny turned and put her arms around Leonard's neck and kissed him.

Penny's spontaneous kiss started to turn into something more and they both finally had to pull apart before they ended up on the cold floor. They stood there for a few moments, just inches apart, and stared at each other, both seeing the desire in their partners eyes. Finally they just took each others hands and started to walk out of the apartment.

Penny stopped at the door and took one last look back, "It feels a little weird looking at it right now, but you know, I am excited with our new bigger place, it is like a new adventure." Leonard gave her a big smile, then closed and locked the door for the last time.

That night was the first night they completely cut ties to 4B and were fully moved into 5A, their new home. They had kept all their old furniture, not willing to get rid of any of it until they were more comfortable in their new home, but Penny did buy a couple of big two person chairs, that they put on each end of Penny's sofa for their friends. That night they had a little get together with their friends to informally celebrate the move. The pizza and beer had everyone pretty happy, except for the one elephant in the room, there was no Sheldon.

"Amy, is Sheldon mad at us." Penny had cornered Amy in the bathroom.

Amy didn't know what to say, she didn't want to hurt Leonard or Penny's feelings, she was really happy for them, they seemed so happy. Penny had quickly returned to Penny, from before the breakup, since she got back from Nebraska, Amy actually thought she glowed now, she seemed to be happy all the time. It made her heart swell to see her friend so much better and back to her old self, but she knew she had to tell her something.

"Sheldon can't handle the change, Penny. I think it is too much, too quick, he is having a hard time dealing with it. It's not your fault or Leonard's fault, Sheldon just refused to see the writing on the wall, when he saw you two together." Amy thought that is not a lie, it is the truth, well at least part of it.

"I'm sorry Amy, I know we didn't plan out things right, but you know things were hard just then." Penny looked down at her hands, she felt a little bad, she hadn't considered her friends then, just herself.

"No Penny, it really isn't your fault. You and Leonard belong together, I have know that for years, and now that you are together, your happiness is so evident. Sheldon just needs to get over it, that's all, sometimes he gets too wrapped up on how things impact him that he forgets things impact other people too." Amy sighed.

Penny looked at Amy, with a little surprise, "You've know for years that Leonard and I belonged together?"

"Bestie, just watching you around him, when Priya was around, made it very clear that you loved him. And even when she wasn't around, you would constantly talk about him, like he was your boyfriend. Also, the way he looked at you, he would never look at Priya that way, he loved you. You guys are soul mates, but could never seem to get it together." Amy looked at Penny, who had a blank look on her face, she was obviously thinking about something.

"I'm really an idiot, aren't I. I really love being married to Leonard, why did I wait so long." Penny now sighed.

"Don't concern yourself with it. You guys are married now and happy, that is the rest of your life." Amy smiled at her.

Penny smiled back, "Thanks Ames. Now back to Sheldon, what can we do to help?"

"Nothing right now, just give me a little time, okay. I'll let you know how things are going in a little while." Amy looked at Penny, who just nodded her agreement.

That night, all their friends had gone home by 9 PM and Leonard and Penny got ready for bed. Penny had been having trouble, ever since the kiss in her old apartment, not thinking about that kiss and not feeling aroused by her husband all day. Every time they brushed against each other or held each other, she could feel her temperature rising. Now that they were going to bed, she just plain wanted him, she felt a little ashamed, because she felt she was using him, but she chuckled to herself, he was her husband and that meant he had duties to do.

They had started making love again, over the last week, it was difficult at first, because Penny couldn't really physically participate that much, due to her ribs, however they found a way that was enjoyable to both of them. Penny liked to think of it as Leonard having his way with her, and that alone made it more exciting, she would lay back in the bed and Leonard would satisfy them both. It made Penny feel a little helpless and Leonard in complete control, which was another big turn on for her, so she was now really into these love making sessions. Penny would always wear pajamas, even though she knew they were going to make love, because the way Leonard took them off of her, was part of the fun and it got her motor running quickly.

Penny loved the way he looked at her naked body, after he undressed her, his eyes looked like they had just seen the most amazing thing in the world, and it made her heart soar to realized he still thought of her that way. He then leaned down to start kissing her, and slowly her animal instincts took over her conscious mind as she gave into the marvelous feelings her body was now being subjected to. She couldn't help but think that Leonard was getting too good at making love to her, he was a quick learner and he knew all of her right buttons to push, driving her to ecstasy way before him, he was freaking incredible in bed. Their love making always left her feeling like jelly, completely satisfied and extremely tired, however it was not over because the second wonderful thing happened then, the post sex cuddling. There had been a couple men she had knew that could almost equal Leonard in love making, but no man cuddled her afterwards like Leonard, he was the only one who made her feel loved and safe. She was so relaxed and feeling so good, sleep came before she knew it.

The next week was a week of excitement for Penny, she started back to college, and at mid week they got a call from Michael, he and Dawn were coming down for the weekend, he had some legal stuff to go over with Penny, concerning settlement offers made by the networks. Penny was more excited about Michael and Dawn coming to visit them for the weekend, and staying in their new apartment, then the reason for them coming. She got a kick on how domestic she was becoming and was so excited that her bother-in-law and sister-in-law were going to stay with them, in their second bedroom. She had to stop straightening up the room and grin as she thought that they were now her family and she looked at her ring again, saying to herself 'Penny Hofstadter', which just make her smile larger.

Amy had seen Sheldon every day this week, she took him home from work every day, and ended up spending the evening with him. She knew that driving with Leonard to work, each morning, was awkward for him and Leonard, but so far it seemed to work out. However, now Leonard would come home at a different time each night, sometimes very early when Penny had early classes, so it was Amy's job to get him home, which she didn't really mind. She was trying to get him to open up, but Sheldon wasn't talking too much, he would let something out every couple of days, but otherwise he was holding his feelings about Leonard close to himself, except for the complaints about having to drive with him each morning.

Sheldon was also changing, he held her hand and let her cuddle close to him while they watched TV and kissed her goodnight when she left each night and at other times too. However this Friday he had asked her to spend the weekend with him and as they now drove to his apartment, she couldn't believe she had her things packed in a bag in the trunk and they would be living with each other this weekend, it was too exciting to comprehend it was real. That was four hours ago and now Amy was watching a classic Star Trek episode and Spock just kissed Nurse Chapel, she felt eyes looking at her and looked up to see Sheldon staring at her. She had just parted her lips to ask what was wrong, when she felt his lips against hers, and then she forgot anything else except the feel and smell of him.


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Penny and Leonard had picked Michael and Dawn up at 7 PM from the airport and were now having a little late dinner with them. Michael and Dawn seemed so happy, it made the mood between them all very exciting and charged with energy. Penny just knew something was up and she could never take secrets well, so it was driving her nuts. Leonard knew her well and could see her squirm, she was too nervous, being the new member of the family, to come out and ask what was happening.

"Okay, something is up, you guys are being too silly. Spill, before Penny blows a head gasket." Leonard looked at them, then jumped slightly as Penny pinched his side.

"Okay." Dawn took a deep breathe, "I'm Pregnant!"

Leonard didn't hear anything for a couple of moments after Dawn's statement, because of the squeal Penny made sitting next to him. He did chuckle though, at both girls getting up and hugging each other, bouncing on their feet and squealing. Leonard looked at his brother, he had a comfortable smile on his face, he was happy, so Leonard gave him a smile and a nod and then got a nod back from Michael. Most of the rest of the night's conversations were about babies, since the girls had nothing else on their mind right now. Leonard actually enjoyed seeing Penny so excited and happy, talking her head off with Dawn, though Dawn was talking quite a bit too.

Penny forced herself into the back seat of the car with Dawn so they could continue their conversation, while Leonard and Michael rode up front, trying not to laugh at their two excited wives. Leonard couldn't believe Penny, it was like she had all this stuff to talk about, to another woman, about babies and now that Dawn was pregnant too, it was all coming out in one big rush. He didn't know if she would be able to sleep tonight, she was so keyed up. Leonard and Michael remained quiet the whole trip to the apartment, his brother was more like him then he thought, because like him he just sat there listening to his wife talk, a big smile on his face.

Penny and Dawn finally hugged and stopped talking when Dawn went into the bedroom with Michael to get ready for bed. It was a little after 10 PM, which made it seem like 1 AM to his brother and wife, so they were very tired. Leonard and Penny had been going to bed around 10 PM now, also, but as he looked at Penny sitting on the edge of the bed, she seemed too excited to sleep.

"Are you tired at all?" Leonard sat next to her on the bed.

"Oh, Leonard, this is so great, Dawn and Michael can be here when we have our baby, and our baby will be old enough that we can go there when they have their baby." Penny was bubbling over in enthusiasm over her plan.

"You guys already planned that?" Leonard was surprised, he should have listened closer.

"Oh yeah, we're sisters now, this is just the beginning. Wait till we start planning vacations, for you guys to take us on, with the kids." Penny looked at him with a twinkle in her eye.

Leonard looked at her smiling then it dawned on him, he had a family, a real family, his brother and sister-in-law were becoming close and they loved his wife and the girls were getting really close. This is how families acted, they did things together and spent time together, he was really surprised how much his life was changing, for the good, and it was all because of Penny. He looked at her and realized she was staring at him.

"What's wrong Honey, there is a tear in your eye." Penny was concerned about him, he had been staring off thinking about something, then his eyes got wet.

"I'm happy, very happy. Thank You. Thank you so much. I never knew how life was really suppose to be, until you came along. My God, you truly are an angel, you have made my life so much better." He looked at Penny, and she saw love in his eyes.

Penny was in awe of him, sometimes he was so innocent and honest, it tugged at her very soul, another reason she loved him. There was nothing for her to say, her husband just told her she was an angel that made his life better by just being there with him, so she just put her arms around his neck and kissed him. They kissed for a while, and then got ready for bed, Penny just wanted to be held by Leonard, the thought of being in his arms just made her feel all warm inside. Once in bed they kissed for a little while longer, then they finally settled for bed, Penny pressed tightly against Leonard, his hand in hers, she drifted to sleep quickly, after her goodnight kiss.

Amy was trying to catch her breathe, she wasn't wearing her glasses but Sheldon's face was so close, it was easy to see his eyes clearly, his beautiful blue eyes. She truly was a inexperienced virgin, she thought, Sheldon had just brought her to orgasm without having intercourse, she wasn't sure he knew what he was doing to her, but he definitely did it. It amazed her about what had happen, they had gotten ready for bed and had just sat on the couch to see a quick special feature, on a new Science Fiction movie, that was being shown right after one of the Sci-Fi channel's series. It was only on for ten minutes, and after it was over, Sheldon was looking at her again, at all of her, her robe was open and he was looking at her nightie. The next thing she knew he was kissing her, she was really enjoying it but then something happened that suddenly made it very sexual, she was kissing him and felt his arm move from around her and his hand cupped her breast. Her nightie was very thin so when he ran his thumb over the front of her breast it felt like he was touching her bare skin and she lost all control, she was now absorbed in his touch and her heart was racing. But it didn't end there, as their kisses got more passionate her nightie strap slipped off her shoulder along with the fabric covering her breast, it sent tremors through her as he touched her bare skin and she thought he didn't even realize he was doing it. She was wrong, as he brushed her hard nipple, he tenderly took it in his fingers and gently rolled it, that did it, the feelings overpowered her, driving her to an orgasm, in a very sort time. Now she didn't know what to say, she had dreamed of something like this with him, and it was better than she dreamed, but what did she say to him now, was everything still okay between them. Maybe being truthful to him was the answer, she thought.

"Sheldon, I love you." She felt that time had stopped, scared to death on what he would say.

She didn't have long to wait, he responded almost immediately, "Amy, I love you, too." Amy thought her heart would explode.

"Amy, can we go to bed and talk. I need to talk with you." He sounded very sad, Amy thought and that worried her.

"Of course." Amy straightened herself up and got off the couch, taking his hand and leading him to bed, he offered no resistance.

Amy crawled into bed and waited for him, he had again watched her as she took off her robe, she could tell he was admiring her, he found her desirable, which again made her heart beat faster. Sheldon got into the bed with her, then reached out and pulled her close to him, so close she could feel his breath on her skin, she now started to wonder if she was awake or having a dream. They laid there for a few moments, Sheldon's arms wrapped around her, it was so wonderful to Amy.

"Amy, so much has changed lately. Leonard has deserted me, without proper notification, Penny has left from across the hall, the group has migrated to their apartment and I am left alone. I always thought I could control change and prevent it, I am now considering that I may have underestimated change, it is more like social entropy, another thing I cannot control." Sheldon was talking very softly, sadness in his voice.

"Sheldon, I won't leave you." Amy felt so sorry for him.

"I have now realized that, too. I have also realized that I want you in my life, I don't think I could stand to loose you, like everyone else. It actually scares me Amy. I have never needed anyone before, but now I realize I have become accustomed to having people around and the person I most need is you. I have been also thinking I don't really want to get another roommate, now that Leonard is gone. Amy, will you be my roommate?" Amy was stunned and speechless. It took her a couple of minutes to process everything the said.

"I'm not sure I understand, Sheldon." Was all Amy could get out of her mouth.

"Amy, I like your presence, you are the only person who can talk to me as an equal. I have tried to spend more time with you and I find I enjoy our time together, therefore, I expect more time with you will be more enjoyable. You are actually the perfect roommate, I think our compatibility is obvious." Sheldon looked at her, seeing her each morning and evening did appeal to him.

Amy couldn't believe this was happening, Sheldon wanted her to move in. This was another dream of hers, living with Sheldon, sleeping with him, could this really be happening. "Sheldon, so I would move into Leonard's room?"

"Yes, your stuff could go into Leonard's old room. I was thinking though, you could sleep with me if you wanted." Sheldon shyly looked at her.

Amy thought, 'Okay pinch me, I'm dreaming.', "Sheldon, I'm a little overwhelmed with this all. Can I offer a counterproposal. I stay with you a couple of weeks and if you still want me to move in, we'll do it."

"That sounds very reasonable. Does that start now?" Sheldon looked at her, a little smile on his face.

"Yes." Amy didn't have to give that a second thought.

Leonard woke up and Penny was gone, scaring him, where was she, he quickly got out of bed to look for her. He finally relaxed when he went into the living area and saw Penny and Dawn talking while they were making breakfast, in the apartment's kitchen. When Penny turned to notice him, she smiled and walked over to give him a good morning kiss, then asked him if he wanted coffee, which he smiled and nodded to her.

"You girls are up early." Leonard really thought how cute Penny looked this morning, but he didn't think it was appropriate to say right now.

"Well you make me go to bed early now and get up early, so here I am, Sweetie." Penny gave him a wicked smile and blew him a kiss.

Leonard chuckled, "Okay I give up, Honey. Dawn what is your excuse."

Dawn gave him a smile, "Well how are we going to compare notes on you two if you are around. We got some good dirt discussed on our two lazy sleepy-head men, before you got up." Dawn and Penny then laughed and fist bumped.

Leonard shook his head, Penny was definitely taking control of his family, his mother was going to freak. Suddenly Leonard couldn't stop laughing, the picture, in his mind, of his upset mother was too funny. He was in tears, before he felt Penny's arm around him.

"Honey are you okay." She got worried at him laughing so hard.

"Sorry" he said between gasps for air. "I couldn't help think that Beverly is going to freak at the two of you."

Michael walked into the room to the sight of Penny, Dawn and Leonard all laughing.

They were half way through breakfast when Michael decided to talk to Penny about the second reason he was there. He needed to discuss with Penny about the network lawsuit and what they were offering her. "Penny, Dawn's being pregnant isn't the only reason we are here. I need to talk to you about what is happening with our lawsuit of the networks."

Penny remembered Michael saying that there were going to be lawsuits, but he said for her not to worry about it, he would take care of it, so she forgot about it. "Michael, I guess I never really gave it much thought after you told me not to worry, sorry."

"That's okay, I am you lawyer, so that is my job. To make a long story short, the three networks don't want to go to court on this, they want it to go away. They want to settle out of court and just give you money to forget about the whole thing. Their first and second offers, I felt were a little low, but their third offer, is worth consideration. Do you mind talking about it now?" Michael looked at Penny who was looking at Leonard, who just nodded.

"Okay Michael, we can talk about it. I am not really happy with the little I saw and what they said about me. Also, do you know I lost the lead part in the Children's Science Show, that I made that pilot for, because of their news." Penny had not thought about it for a while, but now she felt a little mad.

"I understand. You don't have to accept their offers, we can got to court if you want. I am pretty sure we will win, but it will take a few years, they will stall it out as long as possible." Michael would go to court, if she wanted, Penny was family.

"Thank you, Michael. Please tell me what you found out and tell me what you recommend." Penny smiled to him.

"Well two networks have agreed on 5 million and the third, with that horrible talk show, offered 7 million." Michael watched Penny's eyes go wide.

"That's 17 million dollars, isn't it!" Penny was shocked.

"Yes, 17 million. It requires you to drop all lawsuits and never mention this to any news outlet. It basically never happened." Michael looked at Penny, waiting for her response.

"When would they pay me this money?" Penny was just asking questions to delay her decision, she needed to think about it, she was too excited right now.

"30 days from when we sign the contract with them." Michael could see she was thinking. "Penny, I don't need your decision till I leave tomorrow, so do you want to think about it and talk to Leonard?"

"Yes, thank you." Penny looked at Leonard, who just nodded.

"Penny there is another thing. There are still two more lawsuits, we need to discuss. I am filing against the county, the people who got you locked up, and the newspaper that started this whole slander campaign. The county won't settle and they will try to get the case thrown out, because they are the government and they think they are immune, but I think I can beat them because of case law. The newspaper will try to settle, but I really think we should go to court with them, they caused the whole problem and they need to pay." Michael needed her to agree to proceed.

Penny nodded, "You can punish them for locking me up?" It seemed not possible to her.

"The judge that issued the warrant, has already had to retire because of what she did." Michael looked at Dawn, who just looked down at her plate. "The family services department is cleaning house and the people who were the case workers are either fired or up on charges already. Winning a lawsuit against the county will put every department, that had a hand in what happened to you under review and more people will probably be fired. That is the only way we can get people punished for what they did."

"Okay, whatever you recommend. What about that reporter and his girlfriend that started it all." Penny tensed up a little, her arm cast and ribs still reminded her of her ordeal, every day, and she hoped they got locked up.

"They have both plea bargained their charges. The girl is going to county jail for a year, and her boyfriend got two years in the state pen. They will never be able to get jobs, like they had, again, so yes they are being punished." Michael saw Penny relax a little.

Leonard took Penny's hand and she turned to him and smiled, then kissed him. Nothing more was said that morning, about what happened to her, the rest of the morning now devoted to Dawn and Penny talking about babies again. Michael and Leonard wondered off to talk while the girls happily chatted.

"How is she doing. She seemed a little upset when we talked about her jail experience." Michael was a little concerned about Penny.

"Really, she is a lot better. You saw how she got after we stopped bringing it up, she just doesn't let herself dwell on it anymore. Right now she is still healing from it, so it is still so real to her, but after she is healed the doctor said it will just become a bad memory. Anyway, she doesn't seem scared anymore and the nightmares have stopped." Leonard tried to reassure Michael.

"Good. You let us know if you need any help, okay." Leonard nodded to his brother.

The rest of the afternoon, was spent on a tour of Hollywood, lead by Penny and dinner at Penny's and Leonard's restaurant by the ocean. Penny enjoyed bringing Michael and Dawn there, and they became enchanted with the atmosphere there, as much as Penny was. They spent a couple hours there, and the girls even danced with their husbands for a couple of slow songs, it became a very romantic evening for them all. It was a little after 10 PM when they got to the apartment, and everyone was tired, Penny especially.


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Penny woke up, where she fell asleep, her head on Leonard's chest, wrapped in his arms. She remembered wanting to kiss and cuddle him all evening, and doing that as soon as she was in bed with him, it made her smile waking up them still cuddling each other, it made her feel so comfortable, but unfortunately she still had to pee. She always hated getting out of her nice warm spot, tucked in close to Leonard and she hated waking him up, but mother nature wouldn't wait. Just pulling his arms from around her made her feel bad, she loved them being around her, but he gently moved his arms away, he was becoming use to her morning bathroom habits. She was only a few minutes before she was snuggled back in his arms, but now she couldn't sleep, she had too much on her mind.

"Sweetie, what do you think I should do about what Michael said?" She needed to talk to Leonard, he always helped when she had to make difficult decisions.

Leonard pulled her in a little closer and nuzzled her ear, which made her giggle and flush at the same time. "Honey, it is really up to you, this is your future, I have my future already planned, but you need to do what makes you happy and goes with your plans."

"I know Sweetie, but what am I missing if I take the money. What if I want to still be an actress?" She needed Leonard's thoughts, he always seemed to understand the Pros and Cons of situations.

"I think all they want is you to do is forget they told lies about you and never talk about them and the lies they said, again. I don't think there will be anything preventing you from being an actress, a student, a wife or a mother. You will also have 17 million, minus taxes and lawyers fees." Leonard thought she should take the money, but he didn't want to tell her outright to do that, she needed to decide for herself.

"What if I went to court, what are the problems there?" She was leaning towards taking the money but she wanted to hear the other side.

"Well it will probably take a few years before you get to court, and then a year or two of appeals, and winning is not a sure thing, however, Michael is good, so he is a safe bet. You also could end up with a lot more money, maybe even over 50 million, but again you won't see it for a few years. Also, the lawsuit will take up some of your time, especially when you actually go to court and there is a possibly that an acting career success could ruin your reason for the lawsuit, since Michael is saying they hurt your career." Leonard gave her another kiss on the ear and got another giggle from her.

Penny shifted, with his help so she could look at him, "I think I want to take the money and enjoy it now. I always thought, if I made it big, I wanted a ranch house, either on the beach or with a big enclosed pool. I should have enough for that, right?"

Leonard smiled, "Yeah, I think you should have more than enough, plus enough to not have to work again, ever, and still have plenty of money to spend, if you just want to be a kept wife."

Penny giggled, "Oh you'd like that, coming home each night to a home cooked meal, while your wife ran around in skimpy underwear, for your enjoyment. I'm just a trophy wife to you, a sex object and baby factory, huh!" Penny was trying to not laugh, but it was hard.

Leonard acted like he was thinking, "You do look good in skimpy underwear."

"Pig!" She finally broke down laughing and swatted him, then she looked at his lips and started kissing him. Penny and Leonard remained in bed, a long time and were almost late getting out of bed, to take Dawn and Michael to the airport.

Amy woke up late too, and when she woke up it was to the feeling of Sheldon gently stroking her hair. The feeling was incredible, Sheldon's fingers touching her hair while his other arm was wrapped around her. She could also feel his face close to her, his nose was touching the back of her head, it gave her goose bumps. She wanted to turn and kiss him, but she didn't want to let go of the feeling she was now experiencing. Amy smiled to herself, "Morning Sheldon." She felt him tense, but he didn't pull away, she surprised him, but it didn't scare him off, which surprised her.

"Morning Amy, I'm sorry did I wake you?" Sheldon had decided to not over think things, like Penny said Leonard always did. Amy was germ free, as far as he was concerned, she had never given him anything, and he had touched and kissed her, unlike Penny who you could catch germs by just hugging. Plus Amy was so soft and smelled so good, he had really enjoyed reaching second base with her, much more than he ever imagined, and thinking about going to second base with Amy again, excited him. He decided that he was going to combine science with a girlfriend, like Leonard did, and see what the results were, right now he was seeing a lot of benefits from the combination.

The trip to the airport, on Sunday morning was relaxing, compared to the normal weekday California freeway traffic. Penny asked Michael a few questions about the restrictions of taking the settlement, and when she was confident she could still be an actress after, she told him to accept it. Once that decision was done Penny felt a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders and she started to just relax and enjoy everything and everyone around her.

Michael and Dawn were checked in and about to enter the security line, "Well guys, I guess we'll see you in probably one to two months, when Penny comes up to sign the documents for the settlement."

"She is in class right now, could we do it after her quarter is done?" Leonard looked at his wife, who nodded, and then at his brother.

"That shouldn't be a problem. If you guys can take a week, we could show you around New England." Michael hinted and Dawn nodded happily.

"Honey, can we?" Penny was now excited.

"Sure, of course, but Penny remember, we are getting married the weekend you are finishing school, so this will be part of the two week honeymoon." he reminded her, which made her think.

"Okay, then it is a week in New England and then a week at the beach." Penny liked this plan a lot. Penny could see Dawn was as excited as her, so she hugged her.

"Michael, I have a question to ask you before you leave, Dawn too. You don't have to answer right now, but think about it and let me know in a couple weeks. Michael could you be my best man?" Michael eyes went wide, he never expected Leonard to ask him that.

"Dawn could you also be in the wedding party." Penny looked at Dawn after she asked.

"Yes! Yes!" Dawn and Michael said it almost at the same time. They all hugged for a few minutes, until Dawn and Michael had to leave. Penny was leaning on Leonard smiling when she finally lost sight of them when they passed through the metal detector.

Penny and Leonard parked their car in the apartment parking lot and were walking to the door, when they noticed a woman trying to get a couple roller suitcases through the door, it was Amy. Penny grabbed the door for her friend, "Ames, what is with all the baggage, are you moving in?" Penny joked with her.

"Ah….." Amy was at a loss for words, what should she say.

"Oh My God! You are moving in! Your moving in with Sheldon! Holy Crap on a Cracker!" Penny was stunned and when she looked at Leonard, she could tell he was stunned too.

"Yeah, I am." Amy now felt really weird, what would her friends think.

"WOW, that is so….great, that is so great, Amy. You will live just below me, we can visit each other all the time. You guys are always welcome, you know." Penny now had her head around this news and was happy for her friend. However, she wondered, what made doctor wack-a-doodle change.

"Penny can I talk to you?" Amy looked at Penny, then Leonard, and Penny again.

"Honey, I'm going to the store to pick up a couple of things, so see you later." Leonard got the hint, he was going to give them some time.

"Thanks Sweetie." Penny gave him a kiss to send him on his way.

"Okay Ames, lets go to my apartment and talk." Penny grabbed one of Amy's roller bags and led the way to the elevator.

Fifteen minutes later, Penny and Amy were sitting on chairs in Penny's apartment drinking tea. "Penny, Sheldon is …different. I really don't know how better to describe it."

"Good different or bad different?" Penny wondered where this was going.

"Penny he thinks his friends have abandoned him and I'm all he has left. He says he is scared and he wants to keep me close. He says he needs me, and he told me he loved me." Amy got quieter when she said the last part, Penny noticed.

"We didn't abandon him, so much has happened that's all. Once everything is normal again, things will return to almost the same. Except Leonard and me are married, so I am not sharing him with Sheldon anymore. But things will get better, you'll see. Also, did you say Sheldon told you he loves you?" This was a big surprise to Penny, Sheldon Cooper admitting he had feelings.

"Yes, and that is the problem. What if he is just so upset right now that all the things he is doing with me, and telling me he loves me, are just a way to compensate. Then if things get better, with all his friends, he becomes uncomfortable again." Amy was getting a little depressed, the more she thought of it, the more she thought things were going to go bad, soon.

Penny looked at Amy, "What things is he doing with you?"

Amy just looked at her tea cup and said nothing, "Come on Ames, if you want my help, spill it." Penny pressed her friend.

"He was been holding hands, hugging, and kissing me a lot." Amy then got real quiet. "He also fondled my breast and gave me an orgasm last night."

Penny looked at her friend in complete shock, "Really, Sheldon! Oh My God!"

"Penny, I really like how Sheldon has changed, he has been so affectionate and a real boyfriend, I don't want it to end. But I don't want him feel like he has no friends anymore, he needs his friends. Oh, what's wrong with me." Amy looked at Penny, and Penny could see the sadness in her eyes.

"You're in love. You are putting his feelings above your own. I learned that a couple of months ago, when I knew I was totally in love with Leonard. It's scary because you are so vulnerable, but I can tell you it is really worth it. I love my life, now, Leonard makes me so happy, admitting I loved him was the best thing I did in my life." Penny sat there and remembered how she almost lost him, it made her shiver.

"Penny is something wrong?" Amy saw her zone out for a minute and then shiver.'

"Sorry, Ames, I just thought how I almost lost him. That is the possible bad side of love, if one person is not feeling the same as the other, someone could become hurt. Like I hurt Leonard, and how I felt when we broke up over a month ago. The pain is indescribable, I hope you never go through it." Penny could still remember how bad she felt, when she thought she lost Leonard, it made her a little sad.

"Penny, you never really lost Leonard, you know that." Penny looked at her, confused. "You forget, you were pregnant, Leonard would never leave you, once he found out you were carrying his baby. You know Leonard, what would he have done, if you guys didn't get back together, and he found out you were pregnant with his baby?"

"He would take care of me….and our baby." Penny now remembered she had thought about this before, Leonard would have never deserted them. Penny sat there quietly, she was thinking about how, on the airplane to Switzerland, she thought of getting pregnant and trapping him, did she actually do that. Suddenly she felt really bad, did she trap Leonard into marrying her, 'OH MY GOD', she thought, what did I do?

Amy was looking at Penny and could see her eyes tearing up, what was going on, she thought. "Penny what is wrong?"

Penny was now crying, "Oh God, Amy. I trapped Leonard into marrying me. We only really talked about being married after he found out I was pregnant. Amy, he probably didn't want to marry me, but he had to because I was pregnant with his baby. We had agreed to talk, before I left Switzerland, when he came home, not get married, just talk. Then he got home and I was pregnant, so he married me. Amy, what have I done to him, I trapped him, I made him marry me! I hurt him again, what a horrible person I am." Penny was sobbing now.

Amy didn't know what to say, "Penny, I don't think that is true. Leonard loves you."

Penny's mind couldn't focus, she looked around her cute new apartment and it seemed like a sham to her, it was Leonard's prison and she knew how prison was, it was horrible. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself she trapped him, she never meant to do something like that, not to him. He was so sweet and caring, of course he would marry her and never tell her he was just doing it because she was carrying his baby. He was taking care of her again, like he always did, he was the most wonderful man in the world, and she always hurt him and now trapped him. Penny's heart seemed like it was going to explode, she was falling apart, she stood up and ran to her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She stood there looking at their bedroom, and it made her feel worse, she always associated love with the room, now it was just part of Leonard's prison, she fell to the bed, grabbing a pillow to bury her head in and cried her eyes out.


	89. Chapter 89

**THIS IS A 'M' RATED CHAPTER, SO YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

Chapter 89

Leonard was walking up the stairs, he was feeling good and walking up the stairs, just felt good. He had given Amy an hour with Penny and now he wanted Penny back, to spend the day with. He was smiling, when he walked into the apartment, until he saw Amy standing it his hallway, her face looked extremely concerned over something. His mind automatically thought the worse, Penny! "Amy what's wrong? Where is Penny?"

Amy looked at Leonard, a helpless look in her eyes, "I don't know what's wrong…..she locked herself in the bedroom. I think I hear her crying."

Leonard moved quickly to a bottom drawer in the kitchen, which in the back had the keys for the bedroom doors. He then headed to his bedroom, and quietly opened the door to find his wife, her face buried into a pillow, sobbing. This wasn't a complete surprise, Andy had told him, the first time they talked, and Cathy had also mentioned, that Penny could have episodes of just breaking down, because of almost anything. They told him the he just needed to comfort her until she got over it, she just needed to be loved and allowed to heal. He walked over and sat on the bed, starting to rub her back gently, but she still sobbed, he didn't think she even knew he was there.

Leonard looked at the bedroom doorway and saw Amy staring at the scene, looking like she was going to cry. "Amy, I got this, could you give us some time, alone." Amy looked at him, like a deer staring into headlights, then finally nodded and turned to leave.

Penny in this state, worried him, he needed her to know everything was alright, so he kicked off his shoes and got in bed with her, taking her into his arms, like he did at night when he cuddled her, and it started to work, she then started to react to him. "Honey, everything is okay." Leonard gave her a kiss to the back of her head.

Penny felt arms encircle her and pulling her to his chest, it was Leonard, only Leonard knew how to cuddle her. She still felt terrible, but she wanted him, she could only think of him holding her, so she turned in his arms, it hurt her ribs, but she didn't care, she needed him. As soon as her body faced him, Penny buried her face in his shoulder, she felt if she let go of him he would leave her and she couldn't take that. "Leonard, I'm so sorry…. I'm so sorry I hurt you again…. Please forgive me... I don't know what to do, I don't want to hurt you…. I don't want you to feel trapped…. Oh God, Leonard, I love you so much... Oh God, I'm so sorry…." she felt like everything was slipping away, she was having trouble breathing, she felt faint, she felt her life was ending.

Leonard, barely heard what she said between her sobs, what did she mean, trapped? However, he could see she was getting hysterical and now having trouble breathing, he had to calm her down, he was getting really worried about her. "Penny, I...Love…You. Do you hear me? I..Love..You. I am not leaving you, ever. You are my wife, I Love You. Penny look at me." He had to get her calmed down, she was holding him so tight, he didn't know if she was actually hearing him. He had to get her to look at him, so he gently tried to push her away, so he could see her face, but she clung tighter and now she was shivering.

"NO! Please Leonard, Please, don't leave me!" She was almost screaming, she was terrified she was loosing him. She was hyperventilating, she wouldn't let him go, every ounce of strength she had was devoted to holding him, but her head was feeling light, she was having trouble thinking, breathing, until she passed out.

Leonard felt severe terror when he felt her go lifeless, he lowered her and felt her pulse and checked her breathing, praying that she was okay. Her heart was still beating and she was still breathing, but he was so scared, he looked for his phone to call an ambulance. But first he had to make sure she still kept breathing, so he grabbed a wad of tissues and wiped the tears and snot off her face and around her nose to keep her airways open, then was about to type 911 into his phone when her eyes started to flutter. Leonard was so relieved and happy to see her wake up, he couldn't help from crying. "Penny are you okay, darling please tell me you are okay."

Penny was disoriented, she looked up at Leonard, her mind slowly coming back, he seemed so sad, he was crying, why was he crying? "Leonard?"

"Baby, do you feel okay?" Leonard was looking into her eyes trying to tell if she was okay.

Everything was coming back to her, it was like her mind was doing a reboot, tears were coming back to her eyes, "Leonard!"

Leonard moved his face close to hers, he was afraid he was loosing her again, "Penny, I Love You. Do you understand, I Love You. Now and forever."

Penny nodded, she stared at him, her tears now on hold, he was touching her hair and her face, his touch felt so good. She realized she was laying in his lap and Leonard looked scared, why did he look scared? "Leonard?"

Leonard had to do something, he had her attention right now, he couldn't dare to loose it. He leaned down and kissed her, "Penny, I Love You. You know that don't you?"

His lips felt so soft, she loved kissing him, her eyes had closed as soon on their lips touched and now as she opened them, she heard his words and nodded. "I love you, Leonard."

Leonard helped her up to a sitting position, keeping her very close, then when she was sitting he put his forehead to hers. "Penny tell me what is wrong, let me help."

Penny could feel the pain again, and her eyes were getting wet again, "I'm sorry Leonard, I didn't want to trap you into marriage, with a baby, I'm so sorry." she was sniffling again and she couldn't stop.

"Penny, I am madly in love with you…..You know that, don't you." Penny nodded, "I am so happy being married to you and so happy we are having a baby…You don't doubt that do you…..You know that's true, right." Penny nodded again. "This was the life I always wanted, a family with you. You made me the happiest I have ever been in my life…You know that, Honey, don't you." Penny looked into his eyes and saw only love, she nodded. Leonard put both his hands on each side of her face and looked into her eyes as their foreheads still touched, he was not going to loose her, "Penny, I am in love with you. You are stuck with me forever, I am never leaving you, never. You and our daughter are my family. I could never leave you both, I couldn't take being gone from your lives, I would die… Do you understand?"

Penny slowly nodded, "But Leonard, I'm sorry…"

Leonard spook to her very quietly and softly, "Penny for what? Making me the happiest man on earth? Being my wife? Being the mother of our child? Loving me? I'm not sorry for any of those things. Why are you sorry?" He just wanted to hold her, but he needed to get through to her.

"I trapped you into marrying me with a baby." Penny was exhausted and found it hard to just say that.

"You didn't trap me, Honey. Please believe me, would I lie to you. I promise you did not trap me and I will be with you forever." He looked directly into her eyes.

And there it was, he was looking into her soul and promising her, he didn't break his promises. "Okay." She moved her lips towards his, she wanted to kiss him so bad.

Leonard moved to her lips and they kissed, he was relieved, she seemed to be recovering. The kiss didn't last long, but it was followed by many more kisses, until Penny just hugged him, holding him tight, Penny's face buried in his shoulder, her eyes closed. Penny held on to Leonard a long time, he would hold her as long as it took, but then he heard her softly snoring, she had fell asleep. He moved her so she was laying on the bed and then wrapped her in his arms and pulled the cover over the both of them.

Leonard laid there in bed and cuddling his wife, she was exhausted from everything, and laying there he realized he was tired too. He didn't want to leave the bed, he couldn't leave her alone and the whole event had drained him, Penny blacking out for a minute, scared him to death, he had never seen her so distraught, and getting hysterical. He had expected something to happen, he had been warned, but not on this scale, and not this suddenly, without forewarning. The trigger was obvious, she somehow thought that she trapped him by getting pregnant and it set her off, but Andy and Cathy had told him it would really be the grief, from her being hurt in jail, coming out, and they said it was actually good for it to come out. He just wanted her to get well, and if it took this, well he understood, but it still scared the hell out of him. Penny asleep in his arms, just felt right, he could protect her that way and it was only few minutes later that he drifted off to sleep with her.

Penny slowly woke up, she knew she was in Leonard's arms and it made her feel safe, she also remembered he promised never to leave her, which made her feel secure. She laid there and remembered how wonderful it felt to spend the whole day in bed with him, and how when they were broken up, she had wished she could have that again, well she wanted that now. She just wanted to lay with him, kiss him, hold him and love him, the whole day, she wanted to spend every minute with him today. She didn't want to get up, but she had to pee so bad, her body was betraying her again, the little baby inside her pressing on her bladder. For the second time today she was going to have to leave his arms and she hated it, she thought 'It just isn't fair'.

"What's not fair?" she jumped, was that Leonard or was it her mind playing tricks on her, had she said it aloud, what was she was thinking, then it dawned on her, he was awake. He repeated, "What's not fair, Honey?"

"Every time I wake up, I have to pee, and I don't want to get up." she felt him chuckle behind her. "It's not funny." she pouted.

"Come on, I'll go with you." Leonard slowly let her go and helped her get up, walking her to the bathroom, but she was holding his hand the whole time and wouldn't let him go. He ended up sitting on the edge of the tub while she went pee, her head on his shoulder.

"Sweetie can we just stay in bed today? I don't want to leave the apartment today, I just want to be with you." She nuzzled her head deeper in his shoulder. "I just want to be like this all day, lazy and comfortable, with you."

"Anything you want, Honey. I'd love to spend the day with just you." Leonard turned his head and gave her a kiss on her head, he could feel her smiling in his shoulder, it made him feel so good she was getting back to normal.

They left the bathroom and headed into the bedroom, where Penny went to the closet to get her sweat suit to wear. Once comfortable, her and Leonard propped up pillows in the bed, got big bowls of ice cream and started watching some of her movies, the funny ones, cuddled up close to each other. Leonard so close to her made Penny feel herself again, and she just enjoyed herself, her husband so close to her and hers for the whole day.

After Amy had left Penny's, she had rolled her bags to the elevator and went down a floor, to Sheldon's door. Amy didn't know if she should knock or just use the key he gave her, she stood there a minute, then unlocked the door, thinking 'Well, Sheldon here I come' and walked in. She was surprised, when she had walked in, that he was nowhere in sight, "Sheldon?" she was afraid he changed his mind and left. She walked into the hall up to his opened bedroom door, to find him moving things in his dresser drawers.

Sheldon didn't see or hear her, he felt her presence and turned around, "Amy, I am cleaning out a drawer for your stuff. Leonard's old room is empty, but I put up a fold out table, you can put your suitcase on, then with this drawer and Leonard's empty closet there should plenty of room for your clothes." Sheldon was proud of himself, he had figured out this arrangement in the short time she had gone.

Amy was stunned again, he was giving her a drawer for her clothes in his room, this was so out of character for Sheldon. She was happy, but then she was also worried now, she couldn't get Penny out of her mind. "Thank you Sheldon." then Amy turned around and went into the living room to sit on the couch.

Sheldon, thought Amy would be happy about all he did, what did he do wrong? "Amy?" He quickly followed her out to the living room to find her on the couch, sitting quietly, obviously deep in thought. Sheldon sat next to her, and without even thinking about it put his arm around her, something was wrong. "Amy, what's wrong?"

It took Amy a few minutes to realize Sheldon's arm was around her, but once she did, she leaned into him, she was a little upset and needed comforting. "Sheldon, I was talking to Penny a few minutes ago, and she broke down and ran away from me. I think I may have caused it. I'm worried about her. Leonard is with her now." A tear slipped down Amy's cheek.

Sheldon actually didn't know what to say, so he just held Amy, while she held her head against his chest, every so often a little whimper coming from her. They sat like that a little while, every minute that went by Sheldon relaxed more and more, until it actually felt natural and he started to enjoy her closeness. "Amy, Leonard will take care of her, you know that. Leonard always takes care of Penny, he knows how to do that from years of being around her."

"I know Sheldon, he is her husband, he loves her, he will make sure she is okay. I know that, but I feel I am the cause of all this, that is what bothers me." Amy lifted her head to look at her boyfriend.

"Amy, why don't we give them a little time, then call them to see how things are. Will that make you feel better?" Sheldon wanted Amy to happy again.

"Thank you Sheldon, that would make me feel better." Amy put her head against his chest again.

The movie just ended, but they really didn't see the end, they were giving each other little kisses and looking at each other. Leonard was now putting kisses on her nose and cheeks, Penny was giggling with each kiss, finally he stopped and just looked at her and she looked at him. "Honey, I'm sorry about earlier." Penny was looking at him and biting her lip.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. Love is never having to say you're sorry." He smiled at her.

Penny gave him a pouting look, "I made you watch that movie and now you give me quotes from it. That is not fair Leonard Hofstadter." She was now rubbing her nose against his.

"Well, I guess I learned something from that movie, Penny Hofstadter." he smiled at her, then gave her a quick kiss on her nose.

"Say it again." Her voice was low and seductive.

Leonard was a little confused, "Say what?"

"My name." her voice low and seductive again.

"Penny Hofstadter…Mrs Hofstadter…..Mrs Penny Hofstadter." he tried to make it sound sexy to her.

Penny got a wide grin on her face, "I love being your wife."

"You better, because you are stuck with me, forever." then he held up his ring finger to her to emphasize the point.

Penny laughed, move practically on top of him and started to kiss him again. Their little make out session had been going on for about twenty minutes, when Leonard's phone rang, with the theme from Mario Brothers, which meant Sheldon was calling. "Honey, you better answer it, I think it may be Amy. I probably upset her." Penny reached over and grabbed his phone to give it to him, since she was on top of him.

Leonard hit the answer button, "Hello Sheldon…..Penny is fine….Okay put Amy on." Leonard gave his phone to Penny. "Hi Ames…..I know, I'm sorry….No Leonard has been taking really good care of me…" Penny giggled and winked at her husband. "No nothing, this is just a lazy stay at home day, but I am getting really hungry….for pizza." She gave Leonard a look, which Leonard knew was her, I need to eat look. "Why don't you guys come up and have pizza with us…No, I want you to come….Amy, I really mean it, I want you to come….Okay, great, we'll order the pizza and you come up in about a half hour…..see you Ames." Penny hung up and gave the phone to Leonard. "Sweetie, we need one Sheldon pizza and one Penny pizza." she giggled.

"And a Leonard pizza, I can't eat the crazy things you like on pizza now." Leonard ordered the pizza then put his phone down. He looked at his wife, who was still on top of him. "Well they will deliver in about 30 minutes."

"So what do we do for 30 minutes?" Penny gave him a sly smile, then brought her face close to his and started kissing him again. After all, that phone call had interrupted her make out session, and she wasn't done.

They had been eating pizza and sitting for about 15 minutes and to say it was awkward would have been an understatement, no one had hardly talked, you could cut the tension with a knife. Penny thought, when she invited them over, she was back to normal, but she was wrong, she was normal with Leonard, because it was Leonard, but now she realized she wasn't completely back and really didn't want to be the life of the party now, with people who were not Leonard. So she stayed cuddled up to Leonard and ate her pizza, having little giggles every time she saw Leonard give her a disgusted face when she took a bite of her specialty pizza.

Amy, felt uncomfortable, and she could feel the tension in Sheldon, she had to say something. "Penny I am so sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. Leonard, I want to tell you I'm sorry too." Amy felt all the tension in the room was from her, she wanted to cry, but forced her eyes to stay dry, even though she was very upset. She couldn't believe how she could suddenly feel so much better, when Sheldon took her hand it his and gave her a little squeeze for comfort.

Penny heard Amy, but also saw Sheldon take her hand, she gave Leonard a little poke, to get his attention, then whispered, "Honey, look at Sheldon." Penny was now excited, Sheldon was holding Amy's hand and he was the one who took hers, it was like watching a miracle, and Penny had to control herself from squealing. "Amy, there is nothing to be sorry about. You didn't really upset me, it was other things, Leonard talked to me about them. It was just suppressed grief. Right Honey?" Leonard nodded and gave her a smile.

Amy smiled, she felt such relief, from the words Penny told her. Suddenly the tension wasn't there anymore, and they all started talking, Penny especially. However, while they talked Penny gave Amy little looks and her eyes would go to Amy's hand then back to her eyes, she was letting Amy know she noticed the hand holding and approved. Amy knew she was blushing a little, because of the crooked smile on Penny's face, but she was also terribly happy, because Sheldon never let go of her hand all night.

That night two couples, that included two very content women, went to sleep at 2311 N. Los Robles. Penny fell asleep in her husband arms, laying on his chest, after talking and kissing him for over a half hour before she finally fell asleep. Amy fell asleep in her boyfriends arms, in his bed after talking and a goodnight kiss from him, it was an exciting new experience for her that she hoped would turn into a permanent routine in her life.

Leonard took some time off on Monday, he could do that now again, since he was ahead of schedule by a couple of days with his project. Leonard took Penny to school, for her 10 AM class and then went to Cal Tech for almost a couple of hours, till he went back to have lunch with Penny. He then went back to Cal Tech to work for another 3 hours until he left to pick Penny back up from school to ride over to UCLA to see Amy and Andy. Penny actually wanted to see Andy to discuss what happened the day before, she wanted to get well so bad and she hated she scared Leonard. Leonard just wanted her to be happy, so after she came out, from talking to Andy, for almost an hour, laughing with Andy, it made Leonard smile.

Penny was smiling all the way to the car, which made Leonard smile. "You seem very happy, did I miss a good joke?"

Penny smiled at Leonard, "Not a joke a funny story. Andy told me about a couple cases like mine and what crazy things the people did when they finally let go. You are a very lucky husband, I have such a strong personality." Penny giggled.

"So seeing Andy seems to have been a very good idea. What do you guys talk about?"

"Talking to Andy is not what I expected. He doesn't really treat me like I'm having a problem, or sick. He makes it seem more like I am just going through an event that just has to run its course and then it will be over. It really makes me feel good that he isn't worried about me and is just there to help me through each, what he calls phases. He tells me where I started and where I am in the process and where I'm going to end up, which is back to normal. He goes over my get well schedule, he calls it, with me and asks me if anything is different from what he expects to be happening. He makes me feel good and confident I will be better every day and over this in the future." Penny smiled a very happy smile at Leonard, who smiled back the same happy smile.

Leonard liked how Andy was treating Penny, he gave her confidence and Penny responded well to his method of dealing with her, because it was definitely tailored to her personality. Hanging out with her all day today, made it seem that yesterday's event never happened she was so back to normal. "Penny, do you feel like taking a little drive and going to our restaurant?"

Penny's smile got bigger, "You know I do, what is the special occasion?"

"It's take your pretty wife to dinner day." Leonard kidded her.

Penny giggled, "Well in that case, we have to go. But I want to drive with the top down, it is so nice out and I want to feel the wind in my face."

"Deal, Let's go." They were on their way a couple minutes later, after the top was lowered and after a few minutes necking, like teenagers.

_**One Month Later**_

Penny was sitting in the hospital emergency room waiting room, today was the day she was getting her cast finally off. It had been over two months and three casts later, but it was finally coming off and she couldn't wait. A lot had happened over the last month and Frank was taking her cast off, Dr Frank Oswell was now her and Leonard's friend. Frank was dating Penny's friend Cheryl, who Penny set up with him after Cheryl's deadbeat boyfriend, of many years, cheated on her. Besides Bernadette, Cheryl had been one of Penny's closest friends at the Cheesecake Factory, even though she was 10 years older than Penny. As soon as Cheryl was over the initial grief, she took her out to dinner with her and Leonard, it was a thank you dinner for Frank who they insisted he accept for all he did for Penny. Cheryl and Frank hit it right off and had been on several dates since, Penny thought they made a cute couple. Penny was smiling to herself, deep in thought, and almost didn't hear her name called for her cast removal.

The drive home was weird, her arm felt so much different without a cast and her arm was a lot thinner than the other arm, but it felt so good. Penny was still thinking about the last month, there were a lot of things that had changed, school for one thing. When she started school she was nervous and actually scared, the homework was really hard and if it wasn't for Leonard she would have quit after the first two weeks. Leonard helped her at first and taught her how to study, which slowly made things easier, and the homework seemed to get easier too. Now she didn't need Leonard's help anymore, she got her homework done quickly and she could listen and enjoy her classes, things were really different. She was doing a lot better in her tests too, before she hoped just to pass, now she was disappointed if she got anything less than an A-. She even told Leonard, that this was the first time in her life, she had actually enjoyed school. She giggled, that was her career right now, she was a college student.

Penny also thought about this weekend, it was a three day weekend and they were flying out, after her class Friday to Nebraska for a couple of days before they drove back with Leonard's car. She had made arrangements to miss her Tuesday class so it was two days in Nebraska and then two days on the road to California. It was going to be a hectic weekend, but Penny thought it would be real fun, because she would get to spend every minute of those four days with her husband. Thinking of Leonard, made her smile, she was doing it again, she was fantasizing over him, she had always thought she would jump him once she was all healed and now she was, so she was becoming obsessed with the thought. Penny was surprised when the apartment building parking lot appeared in front of her.

Leonard came home, and saw his wife in the kitchen in an apron obviously making dinner. He glanced at the table and saw she had the dishes all set up very nicely and two lit candles. He realized, when he put his messenger bag down, that none of the lights were on, except the range light, then he took a double take, and looked back at Penny. He never remembered Penny having an apron, especially a frilly one, however, that wasn't the biggest surprise, Penny didn't have anything else on but that apron, nothing else at all. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, she was so beautiful and terribly sexy, he felt like a pervert at the thoughts that were going through his head, he shook his head to clear it.

Penny had been looking out of the corner of her eye, at her husband, ever since he walked in the door, and it took every ounce of her will to keep from giggling at his expression. She wished she had a camera to capture the look on his face, his desire for her actually made her blush and at the same time turned her on, she began to wonder if her little party was for his or her benefit. "Sweetie, dinner is ready, why don't you have a seat…..Sweetie…Leonard Honey…..earth to Leonard." she couldn't hold it any longer and started to giggle.

"Ah…Sorry….take a seat, yes, I'll do that right now." Leonard was so embarrassed, his face was beet red, and all of the sudden he felt shy around her and looked at the table, so he wouldn't stare so blatantly at her. All he could think was that Penny was a goddess, the most beautiful woman in the world, and was he really married to her. Food right now was the last thing on his mind, his hunger was not for food, get a hold of yourself Leonard Hofstadter, he thought. Penny brought a pot roast to the table, with potatoes and vegetables, the meat already cut, then came close to Leonard and took his plate to fill it for him. Penny was standing close to him, she smelled so good and every time she moved little parts of her body would be exposed from under the apron, she was driving Leonard nuts.

Penny was having a hard time too, being close to Leonard and making a plate for him, she was suppose to be teasing him, but it was driving her crazy, she just wanted to jump on him and tear his clothes off. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to maintain her composure, and that was barely working. She finally sat down across from him, however he was just staring at her and his eyes were dilated, she couldn't help that his staring was making her heart beat faster, she thought, get control Penny, you started this. "Honey, do you like the pot roast?" she barely got the words out, her throat was so dry.

"Ah…..yeah it looks good." Leonard quickly took a bite of pot roast, it did taste good, however, he wasn't hungry anymore. "It tastes really good too." He watched Penny take a bite, the food moving up to those moist luscious lips, then he watched her chew her food, the movement of her mouth and those lips, his heart was racing. He then looked at her eyes, they were dilated, and she stopped chewing, while she stared at him, this was getting to be too much. Leonard broke his eyes away and looked at his plate, there wasn't too much there, he could eat it quickly, so he started to eat, trying not to look at his wife too much, which was really hard.

Penny's breathing was deeper, that moment of him looking into her eyes, almost broke her, she had actually started to move her legs to get up and hop in his lap, and was only able to regain control when he looked back down at his plate. She now looked down at her plate, she needed to eat this food, fast, she didn't know how much longer she would last. Penny noticed him eating, quickly, a lot faster than she was use to see him eating and she decided she needed to eat quickly too. They ate in complete silence, taking quick glances of each other, until their food was gone.

Penny hurried to put the leftovers away, she felt Leonard's eyes on her the whole time, they had still not said a word to each other, it seemed neither of them could find words for the feelings that were running through their minds, like wild-fires. It only took her a couple of minutes, then she swallowed, she was actually nervous, and walked toward her husband as he slowly stood up. Their lips came together and trying to explain the feelings between them as explosions or electric, would have been an understatement, Penny closed her eyes and lost all sense of anything else but Leonard. They were both completely nude before they got to the bedroom door, but they never made it in, Penny's back was against the wall, outside the bedroom, her arms and legs around Leonard, kissing him like there was no tomorrow, when he entered her and her world exploded. The rest of the evening Penny only remembered in bits and pieces, the fantastic feelings, the times she thought she was going insane as she lost all control, when her orgasms overwhelmed her, and feel and taste of him. Right now, she felt like jelly, her head on his chest, his arms around her, her mind trying to grasp the last couple of hours, she was so happy and comfortable, it was her last thoughts, before sleep took her away.


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

M-35

Penny woke up squeezed in tight to Leonard, buried deep in the bed covers, cozy and warm, having to pee. She let out a little groan, it was just becoming daylight and she didn't have to get up yet, it was cold this morning and she didn't want to move away from Leonard's body heat. They had gotten to bed late last night, after arriving in Omaha, by airplane, then eating a late dinner, and she was still tired. But wishing and hoping was not going to do any good, she had to get out of bed and freeze, to go to the bathroom. Leonard had her wrapped up, in his arms, so she couldn't turn, so she put her hand back to shake him, "Honey, you have to let go, I have to pee." finally feeling his arms relax from around her. She then rotated in his arms and gave him a kiss, his eyes were still closed, "Honey keep my spot warm." and started to get out of bed, the air was cold on her warm body. But then Leonard pulled her terrycloth robe from under the covers behind him and gave it to her, it was warm like his body, and she quickly put it on. She smiled at how the robe kept her warm, she didn't even see him tuck it under the covers last night, and she looked at him while walking out the door to the bathroom, she really loved that man.

It was 5 weeks till the wedding, so Leonard and Penny a huge about of things to do on this Saturday, in her home town. They were out the door, of Penny's parent's house, after a quick breakfast, being taken to all the stops they needed to go to that day, by Penny's mother. Flowers, caterers, and other items needed final approval. Penny provided the sizes of the female members of the wedding party to the dress shop and Leonard provided the male sizes to the tuxedo shop. They were running around all day, and almost collapsed into their chairs when they finally sat down for dinner that evening at 6 PM. On days like this, they would normally stay home and rest after dinner, but Penny and Leonard had a meeting at the Church that evening and afterward had to box up the dresses for Dawn and his sister so they could send them to them, on Monday. Penny was asleep five minutes after her head hit the pillow that night, wrapped securely in Leonard's arms.

M-34

Sunday afternoon, Penny help straighten a nervous Leonard's tie, today was his baptism. Penny had seen babies baptized by never witnessed an adult baptism, so she couldn't tell Leonard anything to made him feel more comfortable. Penny looked at her wonderful husband, he was doing this so that they could married in the Catholic church and take communion. Two weeks from now Leonard was going to have his first communion, he had been going to classes the last three weeks to prepare, she couldn't believe he was doing all this for her. She was surprised when they both went into the church to see a child's pool in the aisle with water. Penny really didn't want Leonard to be embarrassed and for a few moments she changed her mind about the whole thing, when she saw the pool. "Honey, you don't have to do this." She was ready to lead him out of there and cancel the Catholic wedding.

"It will be okay, I can do this, don't worry, besides how bad can it be." He then gave her a brave smile and squeezed her hand, which melted her heart, so she kissed him on the cheek.

The baptism really wasn't that bad, and everyone was very respectful and congratulated Leonard after it was over, which made them both smile. The worse part was when Leonard took off his shoes and socks, stepped into the pool and had water poured over him, but it was done so nicely, it was actually poignant. Leonard didn't have anything in his pockets and they had brought a new change of clothes for him so after it was all over, an alter boy gave him a towel and he went to change. "That wasn't so bad, it was actually sort of nice." Leonard smiled at Penny, she had a tear in her eye, she was so proud of him and kissed him again.

There was a dinner, at a restaurant, after the baptism, with Penny's family that ended up taking a few hours. Penny spent a lot of time introducing Leonard to family members he hadn't met before and then rescued him when conversations, with her relatives, got too long, her relatives trying to learn all about him. She couldn't help but smile at her father bragging to everyone on what a genius his son-in-law was and showing them articles from the Omaha paper on him. Penny really wished her father could brag about her that way, but she was really happy Leonard gave her father someone to brag about.

M-33-32

The drive back to California went quickly, Leonard and Penny seemed to have so much to talk about, during the whole trip, and with Penny now feeling well and with no cast, they split the driving pretty equally. However the most interesting conversation they had, during the trip, was about their honeymoon and sex. Neither of them knew what lead to the conversation, but before they were done, they decided to not have sex again till their honeymoon night. In addition, they were suppose to avoid being nude in front of each other and no more communal showers till their honeymoon. They both thought it would make the honeymoon very special, but they secretly wondered if they could really last that long, Penny especially.

M-30

Thursday morning found Leonard and Alex walking back to his office, coffees in hand talking about the draft report. "Alex, I think we are about ready to submit it."

"Are you sure you're happy about the parts I wrote?" Now that the report was ready to submit, Alex was nervous about her work.

"Alex, they were really good. I couldn't have done as well as you on the parts you finished. You have been amazing, all the work you've done. Thank you." Leonard gave her a smile, then he gave her a hug.

It was a short hug, but to Alex, it was wonderful, it took all her will not to squeeze him closer to her. The smell of him, mixed with his aftershave, was intoxicating to her, she was really disappointed when it ended almost as soon as it started. "Thank you Leonard, I can't describe how stimulating it has been working with you on this project."

"After we submit it, I will call your dissertation board members and set up your defense session, so don't thank me yet." Leonard chuckled and Alex sighed, she had temporarily forgot about her dissertation.

Leonard's report submittal was at 11 AM that morning, it was a huge relief for him and it was a week ahead of his projected schedule. However before he left for lunch with the guys, he was notified his presence was requested at Dr Gablehauser's office at 1 PM. Leonard didn't know if he was in trouble or going to be praised for submitting his report early, so he put his relief on hold.

Leonard had just explained his day to his friends when they started to ruin any satisfaction he had previously had for the day. "Leonard, you didn't hit on Alex or make her feel sexually offended, did you?" Howard looked at him seriously.

"No, Hell no, Dam it Howard, I'm married." Leonard defended himself.

"Leonard sometimes you don't even realize you did something wrong." Howard still pressed Leonard, he was enjoying seeing Leonard squirm.

Leonard suddenly felt nervous, he couldn't help think of Switzerland, did Alex say something to Gablehauser, and he just hugged her this morning. 'Dam it, Howard, why are you doing this to me. Alex is not upset.' Leonard thought. "Howard nothing is going on between me and Alex, so lay off." Howard just chuckled. "Asshole" Leonard told him.

"Do you think there is something wrong with your report or experiment?" Raj added to the conversation.

This was the first thing Leonard thought when he got the call, but to be honest, how much could Gablehauser have had read in the short time he had it. He shook his head, that couldn't be it, he thought. "I don't think so, Raj"

"Maybe they just realized that the whole thing was a waste of time, and they are now trying to get their story straight on wasting university assets and funds for such a futile endeavor." Sheldon was dismissive as ever, belittling everything Leonard did.

"Thanks Sheldon, I can always depend on you." Leonard's voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Leonard, I'm just saving you disappointment and embarrassment when this whole futile endeavor collapses around you." Leonard just looked at Sheldon, after that remark, and shook his head, there was nothing worth saying to Sheldon. Raj and Howard just gave him sympathetic looks.

Leonard walked promptly into Dr Gablehauser's office, at 1PM, to see Erin Morgan, from the university public relations department sitting with him. Every person who lectured outside the university had to see Erin to get a briefing, so Leonard had talked with her before several times, but now he wondered why she was here. "Dr Hofstadter, you know Ms Morgan, so lets just get down to it. Ms Morgan please go ahead." Gablehauser seemed to be in a hurry to Leonard, so obviously he had no concern about what was going to happen to Leonard.

"Dr Hofstadter, we have had numerous requests for interviews on your work, and now that your report is submitted, the university thinks you should talk about your work. This is very big for the university, it brings in money Dr Hofstadter, and we need you to be seen by the public and telling the public about the great work Cal Tech is doing."

This didn't make Leonard feel good at all, Erin had just ruined his day, he didn't want to be on TV or be interviewed, but he knew he was stuck. Leonard gave up even trying to argue, they were never going to not let him do this. "When?"

"Next week, but Dr Hofstadter, there is more, they want to interview you both." Erin seemed sympathetic now, why?

"So they want me and Alex? Shouldn't she be here too?" Leonard now felt confused.

"No, Dr Hofstadter, they want to interview you and your wife." Leonard looked at Erin in complete surprise at that revelation, 'Crap' he thought.

Penny was walking out of her Thursday afternoon class, surprised to see Leonard standing outside waiting for her. She was a little worried, because when she smiled at him, his smile seemed forced, something was up. Penny put her arms around him and gave him a kiss, "Okay Honey, what's wrong?"

Leonard lead her to a nearby bench to sit, "Penny, we submitted the first draft of the project paper today and I was called in Dr Gablehauser's office a little over an hour ago. The university wants me to go on TV to be interviewed, because they say this is too big to not take advantage of the publicity for the university."

"Honey that is great, I am so proud of you. I want the whole world to know about my wonderful genius husband." Penny gave him another big kiss, but it surprised her when he tensed up.

Leonard took a breathe, this was hard, "Penny they also said the interviewers want you there too."

"Why me, I didn't do anything?" Penny was confused, and immediately didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Because, you are my wife and you are still a news interest, because of the party and accident." Leonard sighed.

"Oh….I…I don't know, Honey." Penny didn't know what to say.

"If you don't want to, I'll tell them no….. Maybe I should just tell them no….. Yes that is what I will do, I will tell them no." Leonard didn't want to take the chance that Penny would get hurt again.

Penny felt so mixed up, she thought Leonard should do the interview, he should be recognized for the amazing thing he was doing. She was so proud of him, she was so attracted to how smart he was, and she wanted the world to know how smart he was. However, the chance they were going to bring up the whole Todd Stewart thing bothered her and she didn't want her stupidity in that event to take away from what Leonard did. She would do anything for Leonard, even embarrass herself on national TV, but she didn't want it to devalue Leonard's work. Also, what would Michael think if they asked her questions…. wait a minute they needed to talk to Michael, maybe Michael would have an idea on what to do. "Honey, why don't we talk to Michael about it and see if he has any suggestions."

Leonard didn't know what to do either, so when Penny suggested they talk to Michael, he jumped on the plan. "That is really a great idea, Michael probably knows what is best to do. We'll call him tonight. Penny you're a genius." Leonard gave her a big smile.

Penny smiled at him, he called her a genius, he always told her she was smart, and he always made her feel smart. Penny put her hands around his neck and brought him in for a passionate kiss. She pulled a few inches away, "I love you." and then kissed him again.

Two nerdy pre-engineering students where sitting on the grass a little ways from Leonard and Penny. They had seen the beautiful blonde kiss the nerdy guy and she really looked like she was his girlfriend. After a couple of minutes they gave each other fist bumps, both thinking it was so cool to see the nerd get the cheerleader.

Michael's face was deep in thought, on the computer screen, he was listing the options, in his head, before he responded. Leonard and Penny had just explained the situation to Michael, about the press interview, and asked his opinion. Michael sat there thinking for a few more minutes, until he thought he had an answer. "Leonard, it seems the problem is that we want to advertise your project, but we want to make sure Penny is not damaged from this. I think the best thing to do, is agree to a pre-recorded interview, with only pre-approved questions, that we have looked at beforehand. If they deviate from those questions, we just walk out, so that prevents them from asking anything that is damaging to Penny. Also, we tell them that we have final approval for the interview. They can take it or leave it."

"That sounds safe, what do you think honey." Penny looked at Leonard.

"You sure, it is really up to you." Leonard was not going to let Penny get embarrassed.

"Yes Sweetie, I think I will be okay with that." Penny gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Michael chuckled a little at Leonard, he smiled and blushed at his wife's kiss, he was really happy, which made Michael happy. "Leonard, tell the university you will only talk to one of the talk shows on that cable network, that didn't thrash Penny. Not the three major networks, because they were nasty to Penny. I want them to sweat, out this interview, it will be good for them." Leonard and Penny nodded to Michael's request.

M-26

Penny and Leonard had been talking to the show host for about 30 minutes, he was a famous older news show host and a real gentleman, who was also really nice, putting Leonard and Penny at ease. He made a big deal about Leonard's work, which Penny could tell made Leonard feel good and at the same time he came off very modest, the host even said he was too humble. The interview was now at the part that made Penny nervous, the questions about her being Leonard's wife and what happened to her. Michael told her to only talk about the California paper and the reporter who spread the lies, so she did, then the host went over the physical abuse Penny received in jail, so the audience would know, and showed a picture of her from the hospital. It was a little disturbing to Penny, and the host seemed to know that because he dropped the rest of the preplanned questions about her ordeal and changed the subject to casually ask her about her baby and being pregnant, which was a relief to Penny. Penny was wearing a cute set of pregnant clothes, a pair of pants with a small stretch panel and a pull over blouse the billowed over he belly, so that she didn't seem pregnant. The host even mentioned she didn't look pregnant, jokingly, and a giggling Penny lifted up the blouse a little to show her belly, she didn't know it then, either did the host, but they would soon find out that little display would endear Penny to the audience, and capture the hearts of a nation. The interview was shown that night in prime time, the producer and host thought it was so good they wanted to present it immediately, and it resulted in the highest ratings ever for that show. It also initiated an outpour of support for Penny as the cable network's email boxes soon became full and overflowing with emails about Penny.

M-25

The results of the show were amazing, hundreds of thousands emails came into the cable network, asking about and wishing Penny well. It was crazy, people were even offering Penny money to help her with everything, and wanted to know where to send it. Hundreds of thousands of emails also went to the newspaper, however, most of them wanted the paper to burn in hell. The emails were nothing compared to the subscription cancellations that were called in that day to the newspaper. They lost approximately ten thousand subscriptions, until management decided to stop answering the subscription line.

The network, with the talk show that trashed Penny, was in turmoil too, their ratings and polling department, along with their business department, where getting tons of information about Penny's interview and it scared them. The newspaper in California was getting hammered and some people in the business department didn't know if the newspaper was going survive it, so now they were briefing the network CEO telling him they worried if they were next. The CEO of the network immediately had his secretary set up a meeting with his legal department and business office.

It was only an hour later when they all got together, "Gentlemen, we do have a non disclosure contract with her don't we?" the CEO hoped he already knew the answer and it was yes.

The legal director swallowed hard, he thought Michael Hofstadter's request to delay the signing for another three to four weeks, could be used in an advantage to reduce the payout, he now realized he made a mistake. "No sir, we were going to do it in three to four weeks." The business director looked at the legal director in shock, then at the CEO, who started to shake his head, he wasn't happy with the answer.

The business director looked at his CEO, "Sir this was bad, if she does another interview and talks about us, we are going to loose a lot of money. Easily over 50 million. If she reminds the world that we said equally bad things about her, our advertisers are going to desert us." The business director then looked at the legal director, like he was nuts.

The CEO looked at the legal director, with a stare as cold as ice, "You and your team get on the network plane tomorrow, and I want her signature on a non-disclosure contract by tomorrow night. Offer her another one million to sign, now, hell she is an actress, offer her some work on some of our TV series or a recurring part in one of the soaps, but get her signed."

"Sir her lawyer is in New Jersey." the legal director mumbled.

"Pick him up along the way to California. This is very important, get this done." The CEO looked at the legal director with a look that made the legal director realize he was dismissed.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office had been getting calls all morning, from the press, wanting to know about the police brutality that resulted in Penny's injuries. That afternoon the Sheriff got calls from the Board of Supervisors, wanting a formal report, the press was on their back too. The Sheriff was upset, Lieutenant Simpson and his people really screwed up this time, there was going to be a big formal investigation and if Simpson or his people didn't do everything to the book, they were going to pay, not him.

The Los Angeles County Social Services was not immune to the press or the Board of Supervisors and its management was trying their best to control the damage. However unlike the Sheriff's Department, they already had a guilty party and she was going to be sacrificed. Sue Reese was already going under formal investigation and the investigation was finding more cases where she didn't follow proper procedure and had people brought to court on very little to no evidence. It would take them only a little time to submit formal charges against her.

The network, newspaper, Sheriff's Department and Social Services where both scared and concerned about Penny's interview, however there was another company that was ecstatic about it. Penny's outfit was made by a USA clothing company and the chief of design saw the interview and their product on Penny, he called the main office immediately. It took the CEO two minutes, after seeing the recording of the show, to decide. "Tell advertising to hire her. I want her to be the new face of our pregnancy clothing line."


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

The next day for Penny and Leonard started out pretty mundane, they both got up early to go to school, Penny to learn and Leonard to work. Penny had only one class on Tuesday and it was in the morning, she would usually spend the rest of the morning in the library, doing homework and studying, then a lot of times have lunch at Cal Tech with Leonard. Today they were sitting in Penny's car under a tree in the parking lot, with the top down, feasting on submarine sandwiches and diet Dr Peppers. They were really happy to see each other, which resulted in a little 10 minute make out session, before they finally relented to eat and were now just joking and teasing each other. It surprised them both when Leonard's phone rang and it was Michael, Leonard put it on speakerphone.

"Hey bother, what's up?"

"What's up Michael?" Penny added.

"Glad you both are on. I'm half way to California right now to see you guys. I tried to contact you last night and this morning, but you're not answering your phones and your voice mail is full." Michael sounded a little exasperated but not mad.

"Sorry brother, Penny and I have been getting all these calls, since the interview yesterday, like before, so we have been ignoring them again. I should have checked my missed calls, I'm sorry, but to my defense I wasn't expecting anything from you today and we were set up to call you later today." Leonard looked to Penny a little pained, she gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"No problem now that I got you, but something important has come up. I am on a private plane, from the network, they were very concerned about the interview last night and they really want to have Penny sign a non-disclosure contract immediately. We will land in two hours and their lawyers, who are with me, would like to get together with you two and have this signed. I am reading it now and will have it done by the time we get there, so I can give you my recommendation. Leonard they want you to sign it too, and they are willing to give you both another 1 million for Leonard's signature. Penny the network has also offered you some parts, on some of their shows, if you sign today."

Penny looked at Leonard, who shrugged his shoulders, he really didn't know what to say. "Michael, can we think a little about this?"

"Of course, but you will need to give me an answer later today when we get there."

"Penny do you still have that pay-as-you-go phone from before?" Penny nodded and pulled it out of her purse, she had put it in there this morning. "Michael, when you get in call this number, we will answer it immediately." Leonard then gave his brother the number and said good-bye.

"Honey, this is all happening so fast. I really don't know what to do?" Penny looked to Leonard so confused.

"Well, you still want the money, don't you? They are just offering us more for my signature today, so that still goes along with what you wanted." Penny thought for a moment and nodded to him.

"But, Honey what should I do about the acting offer?" Penny was really concerned when she heard the offer, she didn't know what was right to do, she still wanted to be an actress, deep down inside, and she felt guilty because she still had those feelings.

"Penny, you know you can have it all." He smiled at her.

She looked at him, now even more confused. "I don't understand?"

"You said you wanted to go to school, I think you want to still be an actress and you are going to be a mom. Anything else?" He was still smiling to her.

"No that covers it." She had forgot she was going to have a baby for a few moments, what was wrong with her, it made her feel bad.

Leonard saw her face turn a little sad, so he went on trying to get her spirits up again. "Baby, you can have it all. This money will allow us to hire a nanny to help you with the baby, and as long as you don't get into anything too heavy, you can still go part-time to school and do some acting. You can have it all. I'm here too, Honey, we can do this, you know we can."

Penny looked at him still not convinced. "Honey what if it becomes too much for us?"

"Then we can take a break, lighten the load, Honey, there is really no pressure on us. The money will be there, and except for our daughter, nothing else is that important that we can't drop it for a while, if it gets too tough on us, even I can take a sabbatical every so often." He was again smiling.

Penny looked at her husband and couldn't help but smile with him, what he said made sense, she could do it all and if it got to difficult she could take a break, there really was no pressure on her. "Thank you Sweetie." Penny gave her husband a kiss and thought things were really looking up for a change.

M-20

The rest of the week went by quickly for Leonard and Penny, the contract signing on Tuesday was over in an hour and they actually did it on the aircraft at the airport, to their surprise. They didn't even have enough time to talk much to Michael afterwards, before they had to watch the airplane, with him, leave to take him and the other lawyers back to the east coast, before the day was over. The rest of the week was just plain inconvenient for them, because their apartment was surrounded by reporters again, making them have to sneak out and stay with Howard and Bernadette again for a few days.

Saturday was quite nice, they had their first group dinner at their restaurant on the beach that night, Leonard and Penny treating everyone, because Friday they had been notified of the wire transfer of 8 million dollars into their joint account. Even after Michael advised them on what to do about taxes, it still left them a lot of money. Penny and Leonard had demanded that Michael accept 1 million from the settlement, which he reluctantly accepted after Penny gave him her sincerest sister-in-law hurt and sad face.

Now it was Sunday, Penny and all their friends were sitting in Bernadette's church watching the children and Leonard getting their first communion. Bernadette's church had been so nice about Leonard taking the classes and getting his first communion in such a short time, making Penny think more about her faith. However right now her heart swelled for the man sitting in the row behind the children, who was doing all of this for her. Penny said a little prayer of thanks for her life, it was wonderful.

M-19

One problem Penny didn't really know she had, was that no one, from the outside, could contact her or Leonard. Their phones were pretty much useless right now, because of all the phone calls they would get from unknown numbers, that they wouldn't answer. Their voicemail boxes would fill up every day and so they were useless too. Penny had the pay-as-you-go phone, which was not traceable to her, that she used, the number only know friends and family. Leonard had purchased one too, and like Penny, restricted his number, so if you weren't a friend or family member, you couldn't really get in immediate contact with Leonard and Penny by phone.

The clothing company was finding out, pretty fast, that getting touch of Penny, to discuss her employment, was going to be difficult. She had no agent and was not know around Hollywood, at all, plus no one answered her phone. The companies advertising unit was at the end of hope when they finally called Todd Stewart's agent Max, who gave them Nancy Wood as a possible point of contact and told them about Michael. Nancy got to talk to Penny, through Michael, after the screening and approval of Penny and Leonard. "Penny, you know you are a hard person to contact. Most stars are easier to contact than you."

"Yeah, I know Nancy, but every time something is said about me on TV, I get attacked by the press. I sometimes wonder, if this is all worth the benefits of fame, because I have not been happy at all, since it started. I even have a new cute apartment, with my husband, and I can't live in it because of the press." Penny actually liked Nancy, she had been good to her and helped her escape the hospital during the 'Stewart' fiasco.

"Oh, I think I understand. Well, I just wanted to tell you that there is a clothing company that saw you on TV, wearing their clothes. Well they liked what they saw, so they want to talk to you about being the face of their pregnant clothing line. It is not really acting, more of modeling, but if you do commercials, there will be a little acting. Do you have an agent to represent you to them, I know you have a lawyer, but they are not agents."

"No Nancy, still no agent. You seem to know about all these things, could you help me, you know sort of be my agent? I could pay you." Nancy she could trust, right now, she didn't want to deal with a stranger.

Nancy was a little surprised at Penny's request, Nancy always thought about striking out on her own, to try and be an agent, but never had the nerve to do it. Now Penny was giving her the opportunity, to put her foot in and all her dreams came rushing back to her. It took a moment for her to respond. "I guess I could do that. I do know quite a bit, working with actors all the time, I guess I could help you. We would need to get together and talk about it, though."

"Great Nancy, I have tomorrow afternoon off…" Penny made arrangements to meet Nancy on Tuesday afternoon.

M-18

Penny's afternoon had been busier than she thought. Nancy had called the company, after talking to Penny on Monday, and set up a video conference with them that afternoon. Before that, Nancy went over her qualifications for being Penny's agent, and asked her if she still wanted her, which Penny smiled and told her 'Yes'. The rest of the afternoon flew by with discussions, between Nancy and Penny, paperwork making Nancy Penny's representative and then the video conference. Penny was now sitting on the couch, at Bernadette's, waiting to tell the next person coming in the door what was happening, the information almost making her feel like she was going to explode, her need to tell someone so great. Happily the first person in the door was Leonard, so she could not only tell him, but hug and kiss him, to burn off some of the excitement she was feeling. However, like many other times with Leonard, the hugging and kissing, was followed by Penny starting to undress Leonard, and she finally told him her information, when he stopped her, to reluctantly remind her about their honeymoon agreement.

"That sounds great Honey and by the way you are so excited, I think it is safe to say you want to do this." Leonard chuckled.

Penny got a shy embarrassed look on her face, "You could tell, huh?" then she jumped on him and started kissing him again. Bernadette and Howard, entered the apartment, to see them stretched out on the couch, Penny on top of Leonard, kissing him like there was no tomorrow, both of them never realizing if there was not a honeymoon agreement between Leonard and Penny, Howard and Bernadette would have walked into something x-rated.

M-15

Penny and Leonard moved back into their apartment, the night before, again the press lost interest after not being able to find them, after several days. The university was still doing a peer review of his project report and data, but bits and pieces of his work, that the university had already reviewed and approved had been released to a hungry scientific community, earlier in the week. and the buzz it started, was making the press take notice again. Leonard was scheduled to appear again, this afternoon, on the cable news network, on the same show as before and of course they wanted Penny again, the host and producer really liked them both, they were really good for ratings. What was nice this time, for Penny, was that almost all the questions were devoted to Leonard and his work, and there was nothing about the 'Todd Stewart' incident. There was also something new to this interview, Leonard had insisted that Alex be included, which the producer readily agreed to, after seeing a picture of her, two pretty girls on the show, could not hurt ratings, after all.

"Dr Hofstadter, some of the information coming out, from your peers in the scientific community, well to be honest is extraordinary, they are saying this the first major discovery of this new century, and one science journal is calling you the father of 'The Big Bang', do you have any comments on this?" The host had been really nice, with him so far, but this question, was making Leonard a little nervous.

"I think everyone is just happy we, as scientists, are making progress now, our progress has been stuck for a little while, trying to detect and measure small subatomic particles, so our project…" Leonard nodded to make sure everyone knew Alex was part of it, "… is finally giving us a way to get going again. I think the excitement, about that, is what you are really hearing, not that we did anything so amazing. There is still a lot of work to do…" again he purposely looked at Alex, who gave him a obvious nod, "… our project just demonstrated it could be done, now we need to develop the devices to actually do the accurate measurements. So like I said there is still a lot of work to do." again looking at Alex, who nodded again. Leonard relaxed a little, it came out pretty good, what he wanted to say and he saw the host was pleased.

The host smiled, but then surprised Leonard, by turning to Penny, "Is he always this modest and unassuming?"

Penny smiled, she was so proud of Leonard, "Yes, you know I liked him the first time I saw him, years ago, and I knew he was smart, but he was so unassuming, like you said, I never knew how absolutely brilliant he was, till the last year before we got married. He is unlike any other man I have ever meet, and I feel so lucky to be his wife." A little tear fell down Penny's cheek and she leaned over to kiss her blushing husband on the cheek.

The producer stood there in silence, until a sniffle from one of the female sound board operators got him out of his trance. 'My God' he thought, this scene is going to blow the audience away.

The host took a second to compose himself, "Thank you." was all he could say, until he got a signal from his ear phone, "Folks we will be right back after this commercial break."


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Leonard just sat there looking at his loving beautiful wife, she just opened her heart to the whole world, and told them that he was amazing and she was lucky to have him. He thought, how does he tell her how much he loves her, how unbelievable she is and what it means to him, that she loves him. She deserved so much more than him, but she was happy with him, how did he ever get so lucky, to find her, make her fall in love him and now be married to her.

Penny looked at her husband and saw only love in his eyes, he always looked at her, like no man ever had, it was a look that was pure love, but it was also commitment, security and happiness. She could see in his eyes, he would always love her, always be with her and he would take care of her and their children, no matter what. Yes he was brilliant, he was also, gentle, caring, honest, cute, her lover, and she knew he would make a great father, but most importantly he was hers, her father had been so right, he was a keeper.

They had not even realized they were holding hands, it was so natural for them to do it, it was almost instinct and they both looked down at their hands then back to each other smiling. Their kiss was soft and gentle, each of them enjoying the touch of the others lips, the closeness and when they parted, they stayed close enough that their foreheads still touched. It was time to go, they just wanted to be away from the studio and alone together, they just wanted to hold each other, and they both stood up to leave, it was like no one else existed except each other.

Alex, was stunned by what had just happened during the interview, Penny's statement of love for Leonard, it took every ounce of her will to make sure her face did not show a reaction to what was said or the now obvious loving gesture going on between Penny and Leonard. But now that the host broke for the commercial, the interview was suppose to be over, so she had to get out of there, fast. "Is there a restroom I can use." She hoped her voice didn't give her feelings away.

The host responded, "Yes it is around the corner to the right. Let Dave remove your mike. Dave!" Alex was out of her chair and to the restroom seconds after Dave unhooked her.

Alex, practically ran to the restroom, once she got out of sight of everyone else, and locked herself in, the tears fell as soon as the locked clicked. She knew, she couldn't have him, she knew she could only be his friend, and she had accepted that, so why was all this killing her. She didn't know how long she was in the restroom, but when she finally felt she could leave, she washed all the messed up makeup off her face. She had already decided, she would tell everyone that the makeup got into her eyes and burned them, to explain why her eyes were red.

Penny and Leonard were arm-in-arm, when Alex returned, casually talking to the host before they left. Alex's excuse worked and the producer apologized for trouble she had with the makeup. She was really happy that Leonard and Penny wound up their conversation quickly and left, because that allowed her to leave too, and they didn't seem concerned when she gave them a quick good-bye in the parking lot and went to her car. She left the parking lot quickly, so no one saw the sadness on her face.

Alex had been driving for 10 minutes, before she realized she didn't know where she was going, her mind was not thinking of anything but getting away. She wanted to talk to someone so badly, holding all this in her was just making it more difficult on her, but she had no one to talk to. She couldn't tell Beverly, she would think she was nuts, she couldn't tell Leonard, he would maybe send her away, and besides he was with Penny, who Alex actually liked. She was so alone, there was no one to help her, except….she now knew where she was going and she immediately figured out he shortest route.

He had had a long day, and was a little tired, not sleepy tired, just physically tired. He had put some leftovers in the oven, and was sitting on the couch, trying to decide what he was going to do the rest of the evening, when he heard the knocking on his door. Opening the door, Raj was shocked to see Alex standing with tears in her eyes. "Alex….what's…..what's wrong."

Alex was an emotional wreck, it had taken all of her control to get there, so she just took the couple of steps to Raj and hugged him, crying into his chest. Raj was the only person who had an idea what was wrong with her, he was her only safe haven, the only person she could tell and the only person she thought would keep her secret. She barely felt him guide her into his apartment, sitting her on his couch, not letting her go the whole time. It was a good 15 minutes before she could let her death grip on him go and look up to him and explain. "I'm so sorry Raj."

"Alex…..what's wrong." Raj was moved by her coming to him and worried about her at the same time. Raj knew he would do anything for her, and all he could think of was her well being right now.

"Raj, I'm so screwed up. I need to tell someone, but I can't tell anyone. Raj can you promise me, really promise me that you will never tell anyone, if I talk to you?" Alex looked into his eyes, he had kept her secret before, is he capable of doing it again for her.

"Yes Alex…Yes Alex." Raj knew she was having trouble with something, and he suspected it had something to do with Leonard. He just hoped beyond hope, that Leonard didn't do something to her, Leonard was his friend and he always thought of him as being too good to do something bad to someone like Alex. He hoped it was true this time too.

"Raj, I need you to promise, no one, especially your friends, Leonard and Penny." Alex wondered if she already said too much. She thought, 'Please Raj, Please promise.'

"Yes Alex…I promise…no one…..no one will know what you tell me." He knew in is heart he could keep that promise for her.

"Thank you. Raj, I'm hurting and I don't know how to fix it…." Alex told him about her feelings for Leonard, she told him almost everything, leaving out that night in Switzerland, because that was only between her and Leonard. She told him how hard it was on her, with him getting married, and how she still needed to be around him, she still wanted to be his friend. She talked for almost an hour and when she was done, she looked at him, hoping she did the right thing in trusting him.

Raj, really was not prepared for what she told him, it did shock him, he never interrupted her during her disclosure, but that was because he was more speechless than being polite. He knew Leonard was ignorant to this all going around him, he had seen him with Penny, he was devoted to her, he would never cheat on her and he would never give her up for Alex. But Alex said she knew that and even liked Penny, she just was so mixed up and everything happening was happening too fast and she hadn't been able to move on, yet, so it was painful. She also couldn't bear to loose him as her friend, Leonard was the kind of person that was great to be around, that is why Howard and him were his friends, and she just wanted that comradeship too, she loved working with him, he inspired her.

They talked for a few more hours, Raj listened to her as she got everything off her chest, the longer she talked, the more he saw her relax. He got her to rest and eat some of his leftovers, with him, and got her to drink some water to help her dehydration from her crying, and after that all she talked some more. She seemed to get to a point where she finally felt relief and then began to relax, she fell asleep on his couch a short time later, it seemed telling Raj everything had taken all the energy out of her. Raj hadn't even realized she had fell asleep until she suddenly stopped talking and moving.

Raj covered her with a blanket, but he couldn't leave her, the sight of her sleeping there was one he thought he would remember forever, so he just got himself a blanket and sat in an overstuffed chair near the couch and thought about what she said. Raj would be lying to himself if he didn't acknowledge that he really liked Alex and was attracted to her, as more than a friend, but she had come to him as her friend, so he had to be her friend and help her. The problem was the more he thought about it, the more he realized he couldn't think of anything he could say or do to help her, and as he racked his mind for a solution, sleep overtook him too.

M-14

He just wanted to be close to her when she woke up, so when Alex opened her eyes at dawn, she saw him asleep in the chair next to the couch. He was a real gentleman, he listened to her all night, fed her and comforted her, never once taking advantage of her. She felt safe around him, she had felt it from the night at Carney's, but now she knew she was safe around him, he was not the kind of guy who would hurt her. She thought she should leave now, but she couldn't make herself do it, she would not disappear on him like that, she needed to tell him how much it meant to her for him to be there last night, so she just closed her eyes and went back to sleep, she would talk to him later when they were both awake.

Penny woke up in a strange bed, but securely in Leonard's arms, so instead of panic she was first curious, until her mind caught up with her waking body. They were in the master bedroom of a beach house, they had rented for the weekend. She remembered that Howard and Bernadette where in another bedroom and Sheldon in a third. Amy would be coming down after lunch, she had things to do with her monkeys in the lab this morning, so she couldn't make the trip with them all, last night. The reason they were there, was her idea, Penny quickly caught on to the attack cycle with the press and decided instead of running to Howard and Bernadette's, they should just take the weekend off and enjoy themselves with their friends, on the beach. The only things that bothered her was Raj, he had told her he couldn't stand being at the beach in the company of three happy couples and of course Sheldon. Sheldon was still acting a little weird and he wouldn't have been there unless Amy hadn't told him she wanted to go so badly, even then he wouldn't ride with them, only Howard and Bernadette, and they said he was very quiet the whole trip. Penny really hoped that when Amy arrived, he would be better, and more like old Sheldon, which made her giggle, she couldn't believe it would make her happy to see him being his old self.

Penny then felt the arms around her move a little and a hand rub her belly, "Morning Beautiful. How did my snuggle bunny sleep last night?" She immediately smiled and rotated in his arms so she could be nose to nose with him, which, of course, resulted in kissing.

They kissed for a very short time until Penny couldn't take it anymore, "Honey, I have to Pee." she whined, which always made Leonard chuckle now, because it was now their daily morning routine, when they woke up, and it was only a second later, when he got her every morning response to his chuckle, "Not Funny." and a pout from her.

Leonard watched as she got out of bed to go to the bathroom. She was wearing one of his T-shirts, that just covered her bottom, when she stood up, and white full size cotton panties to cover up that sexy bottom. She dressed like that to be comfortable and to intentionally look frumpy to him, because of the agreement they had of no sex before the honeymoon. He could see the baby bump under the T-shirt, when she stood up, and her hair had a just got out of bed look. They were a married couple now and comfortable with each other, just the way they were. Leonard kept looking at his wife, and couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked, she always looked like a goddess to him, and he found he couldn't wait till she came back from the bathroom, to crawl back into his arms, so he could kiss her.

Alex freshened up a little in Raj's bathroom, then had some of the breakfast he made for them both, telling him how much she appreciated him, while they ate. She left a short time later after giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek, she kept thinking what a great guy he was. Alex felt a lot better, the sadness of last night was mostly gone, Raj holding her while she cried, was as therapeutic as taking a drug. Alex was thinking that things were going to be okay, until she pulled into her apartment parking lot and her car got surrounded by reporters.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Alex just stared out the car window at the press people who surrounded her car, never in her widest dreams did she ever expect something like this to happen. She was trapped, she couldn't move her car, because there were people all around it, and she couldn't just stay there in it, she thought. She took a deep breathe and mustered up all her courage, stepping out of the car, then suddenly realizing what a mistake that had been. She had several microphones stuck in her face, flash cameras kept going off, she could see video cameras pointed at her and people were all trying to ask her questions at once. Alex didn't know that most of the reporters there, where looking for her, they were frustrated that they couldn't find Leonard and Penny and she was their last resort, so they hunted her down and swarmed her in an interview feeding frenzy. Alex tried to answer a question, but it was like they weren't listening to her, they kept yelling over her, it was making her very nervous and scared. Alex might have been able to handle it all, if the night before hadn't emotionally drained her, this was too much, so now panic started to take hold of her, the crowd was suffocating her and she had to get away. Alex was a runner, she ran every other day for exercise, so she pushed her way through the crowd, and ran, leaving the press far behind her.

Alex didn't stop till she was over a mile away and when she finally did stop she stood there shoeless, her nylons tore around her feet, she had kicked her high heels off before she ran away. She was felt tired, upset and alone, she couldn't go back, she actually felt homeless and wanted just to sit down a cry. However, she had her purse with her and in it was her cell phone, she needed help and there was only one person she could ask to help her, so she dialed that one person she knew she could depend on. "Raj, I'm in trouble, can you help me?"

Amy arrived at the beach house, around lunch time, to find Leonard cooking hamburgers on the patio grill, facing the beach. They were all in bathing suits, from being in the water earlier, and all hungry from their morning swimming and goofing off, except of course for Sheldon, who had stayed in the house all morning. Amy ate with the gang and then got ready for the beach, the thought of spending the afternoon on the beach, with her friends, a new adventure she couldn't wait to experience.

Leonard had finished eating and now his biggest problem, was he couldn't keep his eyes off his wife, as Penny paraded around in her bathing suit, and to make things worse she knew it's affect on him and couldn't keep from teasing her husband constantly. Penny was in a bikini, not the extremely sexy ones she wore before she was pregnant, but a very cute one for women who were pregnant, to Leonard she looked drop dead gorgeous and he couldn't stop looking at her, he was under her spell. However, he was comforted by knowing he was not suffering alone, Howard was the same way, Bernadette was wearing a bathing suit that was very flattering to her cleavage and Howard had been following her around like a puppy dog all morning.

They had cleaned up the lunch dishes and were getting things together for an afternoon on the beach. Leonard was looking forward to buttering up Penny with suntan oil and Penny was looking forward to be buttered up by him, again teasing him by whispering to him about all the places on her body that needed the most attention. Penny knew the beach weekend had been a good idea, because Howard and Bernadette kept whispering to each other and giggling and Amy even had a small smile while talking to Sheldon, not to mention she talked him into wearing swimming shorts.

"Sheldon, I got SPF-50 suntan oil to protect you, I brought a beach umbrella for you to be under and a beach chair and beach blanket to keep you off the sand. You can sit near us and work on your IPAD, while we all enjoy the beach." Amy explained her reasoning for Sheldon to join them on the beach.

Amy's logic made sense, to Sheldon. "Amy, I agree that my beach needs are being met, so yes I will got to the beach with you." Sheldon finally agreed, then after a moment of thought, "Amy you are quite the considerate girlfriend."

Amy's heart skipped a beat, "Thank you Sheldon." She then took all his equipment, with his help, down the path to the beach.

Leonard and Penny were the last to leave the house, and they both looked at each other and shook their heads, watching Sheldon and Amy carrying all their stuff to the beach. They gave each other a quick kiss and were about to follow them when they heard the car pull into the house's driveway, so went to investigate. They were both surprised to see Raj and Alex get out and come to the front door, Alex looking the worst for wear, still dressed up from yesterday but having flip-flops on her feet.

Leonard was the first to speak, "Alex what happened?" Then to Raj, "Raj what happened?" he had looked from Alex's disheveled appearance to Raj, with concern.

"Long story." Raj answered and Alex nodded.

"Come in and sit down. We want to hear it all." Penny was also concerned about the scene in front of her and always curious about what was going on with her friends.

It took about 15 minutes to get Sheldon all set up on the beach, and comfortable, with his man made shaded area. Sheldon covered himself with suntan lotion, except for his back, which he allowed Amy to do, to her extreme pleasure. Once set up and his IPAD powered up, Amy decided to go in the water with Bernadette and Howard, so she shed the robe, she had been wearing since she put her bathing suit on, and started walking to the water. Sheldon, lost immediate interest in his IPAD and stared at his girlfriend now walking away from him. She was wearing a two piece bathing suit, that wasn't a bikini, like Penny was wearing, but it was still quite stunning. It hugged her hips nicely and as she walked away he couldn't help stare at her moving bottom, it was mesmerizing. She stopped half way to the water, turning to give him a little wave, and he noticed how her top, made her breasts look so full and sexy, yes sexy, and how flat her tummy was. Sheldon swallowed hard, his girlfriend was hot and sexy and it made him….., it made him aroused, he immediately dropped his IPAD to his lap, to cover up his embarrassment.

Raj and Alex finished the story to Leonard and Penny, leaving out the part about the friend, that Alex spent the night with, was Raj, and the reason. Leonard felt bad, he should have warned her about the press, he had completely forgotten. "I'm sorry Alex, I should have told you the problems with the press we had. That is why we came here to hide. I should have told you to come too. I'm really sorry."

"Alex, you and Raj are here now, why don't you both just spend the night. The couch is a bed and Alex you can sleep with Amy and Raj with Sheldon. I brought way too many clothes, and I know you will fit into some of them, also I brought 3 bathing suits but I will probably only wear this one, because it seems to be Leonard's favorite." Penny looked at Leonard, who was now blushing. "How about it, why don't you both stay the night."

"Raj, I have an extra bathing suit, too and a few extra T-shirts, because my wife keeps stealing them." Leonard gave Penny a very fake glare, which made her giggle. "So yes, please stay the night."

Penny saw the most amazing thing then happen, Alex looked at Raj, for his concurrence on staying, like a girlfriend would look at a boyfriend. Raj then looked at her, they were talking to each other through their eyes and expressions, like they were a couple. Penny couldn't believe the looks between them and wanted to jump up and down and hug them, but she could see that they were both nervous, so she bit the inside of her cheek to calm herself down. She managed a controlled small smile as she looked at Leonard, she was going to have to talk to him about this later.

Raj and Alex both said okay at about the same time, and Leonard and Penny got the bathing suits for them, so they could change and join them on the beach. Howard was really happy to see Raj show up on the beach, Raj was his best friend and he actually hated it when Raj got left behind, he didn't know why Raj showed up with Alex, but he didn't care because his friend seemed happy. Leonard was now a big fan of the beach, since that one time he and Penny had sex in the ocean, so now Leonard thought of the beach as a fun place and not the place medical waste was deposited. Of course being anyplace with Penny was fun for him, so he would have probably had liked the beach after a while anyway with her, but he had a sneaking idea that her sex romp with him was her little way to hurry his interest along.

They all had fun in the water, Penny was having a ball and became the center of excitement for the group, she had them all laughing and caring on. They got into a game where the girls got on the shoulders of the guys and tried to knock each other down in the ocean, which got everyone really laughing, except for poor Amy who didn't have a guy to play with. But Amy's spirits were high, so she was cheering her friends on when Sheldon walked into the water behind her. "Amy, do you want to play?" Amy was stunned and turned quickly to look at him, Sheldon was actually in the water standing next to her.

"Sheldon, are you sure you want to do this?" Amy watched in disbelief as he nodded. "Yes, I would like that." Amy's smile was dazzling, Sheldon thought.

The other three couples were in complete shock to see Amy on Sheldon's shoulders, but that shock soon turned into an immediate strategy session for each couple, because Sheldon was taller then the other guys, so Amy now had a height advantage. Their game got really funny and they probably played a lot longer then they would have, if Sheldon hadn't participated, but after hour of constant play they were all exhausted and laying on their beach blankets, just resting and trying to get some sun. They were together but separated in pairs and to say the guys didn't enjoy putting sun tan lotion on the girls, would have been a complete lie, even for Sheldon.

They all went to dinner, in town, at a quaint little seafood place, which everyone thought was great, except Sheldon, who was eventually pacified by Amy and ended up grudgingly enjoying his meal too. They were back to the beach at 7 PM and had a big bonfire built and going by 7:30 PM, as soon as the sun went down, to provide warmth because of the dropping temperatures. Then they just sat around the fire talking and roasting marshmallows, which Sheldon enjoyed immensely, and by 9:30 PM they were all tired, from swimming, the sun, the food and all the exercise they had gotten that day. The girls were cuddling, all practically laying on their men, and Alex was even leaning on Raj, they were all so tired, especially Penny. Penny was snuggled against Leonard, watching the fire burn down, feeling so happy, the day had been perfect, spending time with her friends and she felt as content as she could be, she had forgotten how much fun a day at the beach could be, of course being with Leonard made everything special for her.

No one had any objections when one of them suggested it was time for bed, so the fire was put out and they all made their way to the house for the night. The first shock Penny had that night, before bed, was Sheldon stating he was not sleeping with Raj and was sleeping with Amy, the second, Raj and Alex saying they would share the couch bed, they both didn't seem to mind sleeping in the same bed. Penny thought that this whole situation was fascinating and kept talking to Leonard about it up until the time she got into Leonard's arms and her head rested on the pillow, she was asleep a few seconds later.

M-13

Penny was up again at dawn to use the bathroom, in the master bedroom, and as she made her way back to bed she stopped at the door, and she had to peek, she always was nosey. She saw Raj's head, then had to put her hand to her mouth to prevent herself from squealing, below Raj's head was Alex's, she was wrapped in his arms. Penny gently closed the door and quietly went to Leonard in the bed, "Leonard, get up quick." Leonard was half awake, like always, when Penny went to the bathroom, so he came instantly fully awake and followed her to peek out the door. Like Penny, what he saw surprised him, and he looked at her mouthing 'WOW', to which made her smile and nod. A minute later, back in bed, Penny couldn't stop talking and it took Leonard almost 20 minutes to get her calmed down and back to sleep, the match maker in her going crazy over the possibility of something going on between Raj and Alex. Leonard was actually lucky, Penny would have lost it completely if she saw the other bedroom, with Amy wrapped in Sheldon's arms, him on his back, her head on his chest, both peacefully asleep.

Alex eyes fluttered open about the same time she normally got up for school, she could tell it was cool outside, as she lay in the little warm cocoon she was in right now, which surprised her because she now realized she was in someone's arms. Alex had never woke up wrapped in the arms of a man, so this was a new experience, and she thought it felt incredibly nice. She was not a virgin and had sex with a couple guys before, but none of them ever stayed the night, and now she was sleeping with a man, waking up in his arms and he didn't even demand sex from her, how strange was that, she thought. She really didn't know what to do, she was warm and comfortable, and still tired, she also didn't feel like waking up Raj to talk about it right now. As she laid there, in his arms, she felt….safe, so she decided to just to enjoy the feeling and go back to sleep.

Raj started to wake about 8 AM, to a wonderful strawberry smell and as he moved his nose closer he felt the soft hair of another person, which made his eyes shoot open and instantly brought him awake. Alex was pressed against him and he had his arms around her, 'When did this happen', he thought in terror, while the other part of his brain, told him how wonderful she felt and smelled. However, he was terrified, what would happen when she woke up, how would she respond, would she be mad, would she hate him? He just wanted to pull away from her, to be safe, but as he tried he found his arm was under her head and wrapped around her front, he was trapped. Then his blood went cold, he felt her moving, and she slowly turned around to look at him.

Alex had sensed and felt he was awake, so she decided to talk about what was happening and why she was in his arms, she wasn't mad, just confused. She turned herself in his arms, and found herself nose to nose with him, she wasn't prepared for this, she found she couldn't talk suddenly. He actually looked a little like she felt inside, her mind was racing, what was she going to say to him, 'Why are we like this, and by the way, I like it'?

Her nose was almost touching his and he could feel her breath on him, it was scary and amazing at the same time. Her eyes were so blue, they were beautiful and they took his breath away, he could see himself becoming lost in them. However, no matter how nice it was, he was still terrified and had completely lost all ability to talk to her.

She had not expected this, him so close, she could feel his breath, she really didn't know what to do, should she push away from him or kiss him. 'KISS HIM!' What made her think that, his lips, they were nice, or his eyes, they were so dark, or maybe it was the last 36 hours of him being so great with her. She never thought of him as a boyfriend, or of even dating him, 'Why Not', she mind now asked, he is a much better guy than other guys she had dated and she was not talking about marrying him, just dating him. She was always told, by other girls, that the best way to get over a guy was to get a new guy, she thought, 'Raj was a new guy'. Suddenly it all became clear, 'Why not Raj', Alex decided, and leaned in to kiss him. The kiss only lasted a short time, but after she pulled back, she bit her lip, 'That felt nice', she thought, 'that felt really nice', so she leaned in to do it again, however this time he met her halfway.

When she kissed him, he was in complete shock, his mind kept telling him it was not real, something was wrong. But then he saw her face, the curiosity on it, she was thinking about what had happened, when she moved close for a second kiss, he knew it was real, she wanted to kiss him, and he wanted to kiss her again, so he overcame his fear and went for it. Now that second kiss was over and she looked at him, there was a small smile on her face, and he couldn't help but smile, which made her smile bigger and their lips came together again, then he felt it, it felt like the Fourth of July.

Penny and Leonard left their bedroom to find, Amy and Sheldon on the couch eating oatmeal and Bernadette and Howard sitting at the table with Raj and Alex. Bernadette looked at Penny's eyes then turned her eyes down at the table, she was directing Penny to see something, and Penny silently gasped. Alex and Raj hands were close to each other and they were gently brushing each others fingers, they were almost holding hands. Penny squeezed Leonard hand, then whispered "Leonard look" and as he saw what she was looking at, then she saw him smile.

The now 4 couples, spent the rest of the morning on the beach, and ate sandwiches there for lunch, sadly finally leaving their beach, at about 3 PM, to pack up. Everybody had gotten some sun and a tan, even Sheldon, if you could call going from milky white to less milky white a tan. Penny was a little sorry to leave, but not really too sorry, because since she left the drudgery of working at the Cheesecake Factory and now being married to Leonard, her life seemed so much better, and she looked forward to each new day. She had so many great things in her future, their formal wedding, the baby, school and now modeling/acting, Leonard was right, she was going to do it all, if she could, suddenly her dreams were not that far away and she could now touch them.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

M-12

Leonard walked to his office this Monday morning to find, like always, Alex waiting for him near the door, however she was not alone, Raj was with her. As he greeted them both, Raj told him good morning and then left after giving Alex a kiss on the cheek, which she returned with one on the lips. Their expressions and actions were so unique that it took Leonard a few seconds to realize what they were up to and now he knew how Penny knew he had sex with Dr Elizabeth Plimpton. As he and Alex went to get their morning coffee and discuss today's work, it took Leonard everything he had to keep from chuckling.

Penny's phone vibrated with a text message, but she couldn't look at her phone till after class, so no sooner than she left class, she read the message and let out a soft squeal, that made a few students look at her. She walked over to a bench and sat down, rereading Leonard's message, before she responded.

**RAJ AND ALEX HAD SEX. xoxo**

Penny quickly typed a response:

**DID THEY TELL YOU? WHAT HAPPENED? DETAILS PLEASE! xoxo**

Leonard chuckled, which made Alex look at him, so he just smiled. "Penny sent me a joke." he lied.

**I'LL TELL YOU LATER, ALEX IS SITTING HERE WITH ME NOW AND I DON'T WANT TO BE CAUGHT. xoxo**

Penny was so frustrated, Leonard had to learn he just couldn't tell her this stuff and then cut her off.

**OK, TALK TO YOU LATER. I LOVE YOU. xoxo**

Leonard smiled, Penny probably wanted to strangle him right now, he knew how she was with gossip.

**LOVE YOU TOO. LATER. xoxo**

Penny was not done, she quickly typed another text.

**BERNADETTE, ALEX AND RAJ ARE HAVING SEX.**

Raj, Howard, Leonard and Sheldon, were in the cafeteria eating, Sheldon was being more Sheldon with each day passing, but he still wasn't back to being completely Sheldon around them. They were talking about some new comic books coming out, when Howard, couldn't keep it to himself anymore. "Raj so Alex, have you guys been doing the nasty?"

"What!…..Why are you asking that!…..What makes you think that?" Raj was obviously very flustered.

Leonard actually felt sorry for him and figured this was really his fault, he was becoming a gossip like his wife. "Howard leave him alone."

"Leonard, don't get your panties in a bunch. You seem to forget the numerous times Raj kidded you about 'Our children will be smart and beautiful' or when he told me cool it about going to space, or when he would visit Sheldon, after something bad would happen, to mock him. Now it is being done to him and he is upset. Boo Hoo." Howard stared at Raj, "I saw you holding hands yesterday, what is happening between you two? I'm suppose to be your best friend and I hear nothing."

Now Leonard understood, Howard wasn't mocking Raj, he was mad at him, because he was keeping secrets from his friends, and the truth was, he wanted to know what was going on, too. "Yeah Raj, Howard is right, what is going on between you and Alex?"

"Are you having coitus with Alex, too?" Raj, Leonard and Howard all looked at Sheldon now.

Leonard shook his head, "Too, Sheldon? Raj and who else?"

"You and now Raj."

"Sheldon, I never had coitus or are ever going to have coitus with Alex. I love Penny and she is my wife. Get that through your genius brain and lock it in your eidetic memory." Leonard was so tired of Sheldon's crap, lately. "By the way, what is the hell wrong with you?" Leonard looked directly at Sheldon. Howard and Raj joined him in the stare down.

"What is this about me, I thought we were talking about Raj." Sheldon suddenly got defensive.

"Well now it is about you. Raj is obviously involved with Alex and is bothered by something, so that now he can't tell his friends about it." Leonard gave Raj a glaring look.

"Nothing is wrong with me." Sheldon looked at them all with indignation.

"Bullshit!" Leonard stared right at him. "You have been avoiding me and Penny, the two people that have taken care of you for the last six years. The only person you really talk to is Amy. What the hell is going on Sheldon?"

Sheldon looked at the three faces staring at him and swallowed, "I need to go back to work." He then stood up, took his tray to the trash can and left the cafeteria.

Leonard then looked at Raj, "Well?"

"I think Alex and I are now boyfriend slash girlfriend." Raj looked down at his hands, waiting to be mocked.

Leonard smiled, "Good. That is really good."

Howard gave Raj a pat on the back, "Good for you, she seems like a great gal."

Raj looked at his friends stunned, they were happy for him, "I thought you wanted to mock me."

"Mock you? We are happy you have some one nice like Alex. We just wanted you to stop keeping secrets from us. Like now we want to know how come you can talk to her?" Howard was staring at Raj again.

"I don't know. I just was able to start talking to her at Carney's when she was upset." Raj then covered his mouth, 'Oh Cow' he thought.

"I thought she seemed upset. But I thought maybe I was wrong." Howard now looked puzzled. "She seemed upset after Bernadette told us you got married in Vegas." Howard looked at Leonard.

Leonard looked at Raj, trying to read his friends face, he knew something, "Raj, what is going on with Alex?"

Raj was really scared, "Leonard I promised."

"Then I am going to have to talk to Alex, if you don't tell me Raj." Leonard was getting mad, he had no idea what Alex told Raj and he was worried she told him about that night, he didn't know how Penny would act if she found out. Crap, who was he kidding he had to tell Penny tonight, he should have told her before.

"Leonard please don't talk to Alex. Please I'm begging you. She will think I told you something and she will never trust me." Raj had the most serious face that Leonard had ever seen.

Leonard finally nodded, it didn't matter anymore, he was going to tell Penny tonight anyway, he was going to tell her everything. He didn't know what he was going to do about Alex now, he guess he would let Penny decide, if she would talk to him after he confessed to her. He knew everything was too good to be true, he just felt so stupid.

"So that's it, Raj says he promised and that's it?" Howard couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That's it Howard, it is really between me, Raj and Alex. Sorry bud, but this time Raj is right, some things need to be kept secret." Leonard just shook his head and got up from the table to leave.

Howard looked at Raj, "Sorry, but like Leonard said." then Raj got up to leave too.

Leonard walked up the four flights of stairs to the fifth floor, to delay the inevitable and to punish himself for getting into this situation in the first place. He still felt he was right about not telling Penny, when she showed up in Switzerland, but he should have told her before he married her in Las Vegas, he felt like he deceived her. Leonard walked into the apartment and saw Penny reading one of her college books, she put it down to smile at him, but her smile slowly disappeared as she saw his face. "Penny we need to talk."

Penny was worried and confused, "What's wrong?"

Leonard sat down next to her, and took a deep breathe, "Penny, I didn't tell you everything that happened between me and Alex, in Switzerland."

Penny mind started racing, she thought the worst, Leonard was sleeping with Alex, then her mind really went wild, 'Oh No, Alex is pregnant, too' she thought, she was so scared.

'It is all my fault' she thought 'if I hadn't drove him away, he would never have gone to Alex. Please don't let Alex be pregnant.' It took everything she had to not start crying, she was getting herself upset, before he even said a word.

Leonard started to tell Penny about the night Alex was drunk, her kissing him while she was nude and her telling him she loved him. He also explained how now everything she did should have been obvious to him, that she was interested in him, but he was too stupid to understand. He also told her how he went to her with his problems, because he didn't have anyone else to turn to and he was so sorry he had talked to Alex about her and him. After about an hour, he was done and just sat there looking at his wife, he had no idea how Penny would respond now, things had been so different for them the last two months.

Penny had sat there the whole time saying nothing, but now she saw he wanted her to say something and she was hurting a little. Penny was a little scared too, she always thought Leonard was hers, now she wondered if he was hers completely. She took a breath and asked the question that was now on her mind, "Did you ever love her?"

"No Penny, I never loved her any more than as a friend. Never have I had feelings for her like I have felt for you. I never told her I love her, because I never have. I love you honey, I told her that, when she told me she loved me."

Penny asked her second question, "Did you ever make love to her?" Leonard had never said he slept with her in his confession to her, but she had to ask him outright or it would bother her.

"No, Penny, I swear, I have never had sex with her, ever." He was looking deep into her eyes and he now spoke very softly. "Penny, I have never made love to anyone but you. Even with Priya, it was sex, not love. It was never like with you."

Penny just nodded, she didn't know now what to say. Her worst fears did not happen, he never had sex with Alex and she wasn't pregnant, but it still hurt some that he confided in Alex and he held back the whole story from her. She felt a little lost that moment and needed to think for a little bit, so she stood up and started to walk to the bedroom. "I just want to be alone for a little bit Leonard, to think this out. I promise we will talk about it after, I won't clam up on you, I promise I will talk, but just give me a few moments." Penny looked at Leonard and he just nodded.


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Penny wanted some time to think about her response to Leonard, she was hurt and she had started to feel mad for no reason. She needed to think, she had so many times said the wrong thing, when she talked to him, and she didn't want to do that now, he was her husband. Leonard didn't know it, but when she had talked to Cathy, they had only talked half the time about her ordeal in the jail, the other half the time, they talked about her relationship with Leonard. It started off because Cathy was worried about Penny marrying so soon after the incident, but talking to Penny Cathy realized Penny and Leonard loved each other. However, Penny wanted to talk about the relationship and her problems, and what she discovered about herself finally opened her eyes. She was most of problem, she killed the happiness, she caused most of their fights and she was the one who was the most damaging to the relationship. She used anger to protect herself from hurt, from dealing with things, to prevent showing her feelings, to hide, and she ended up hurting the people she loved, it was her go to emotion to solve any problem she had. Now, after this understanding, if anything happened and she felt anger, she knew it was probably her not wanting to deal with things and so now she forced herself to think things out.

Penny laid on their bed in their new cute bedroom, she had decorated the whole apartment to represent them both, it was theirs, she loved living there with Leonard. She especially loved sleeping there, in their bedroom, and she loved sleeping there in Leonard's arms. She was safe, comfortable and content, and she thought she was not giving those feelings up for anything, especially not for the something, Leonard just told her. She remembered, just a couple months before, how much it hurt when she lost him and how she never wanted to feel that way again. She loved being his wife, so she immediately decided that this situation was not going to be inflated into something that could upset their life together, it was just a speed bump in their marriage and not a very big one. The more she thought about it, she also realized she wasn't really mad at him either, Leonard had been hurting then and he needed to talk to someone. She had spilled her guts to Bernadette and also some to Amy, he didn't have the same relationship with the guys, she had with the girls, the guys would probably have just teased him. When she thought about it, Alex was nice, Leonard and her were broken up, Alex wanted him and wanted to be there for him, so him talking to her was really natural, but Penny felt it still hurt her. And with that thought, she finally understood how she felt about his confession, she felt hurt, and the only one to blame was herself, Leonard went to someone else because he couldn't go to her to talk things out, he didn't tell her everything because her past performance conditioned him to be scared she wouldn't take it well. Leonard really didn't do very much wrong, compared to all the things she did wrong, and didn't do any real stupid stuff, like being in a car with a drunk handsome TV star, and yet, he still loved her. That was really all that counted, he loved her, not Alex, her.

Penny took a breath, the cotton fabric brushed her chin, she then looked down to see she was squeezing his pillow, she didn't ever remember grabbing it, but it smelled like him, and she now knew why she grabbed it, she needed to hold him, this was their bed and he needed to be here with her, so she could tell him how she felt. "Leonard, Sweetie." She blinked a tear from her eye and Leonard appeared at the door, so she pushed his pillow away and reached out her arms to him, she wanted him to lay with her. "Honey." He was in her arms seconds later, the feel of him so close was always like a drug to her and she always wanted kiss him. After a few minutes, she broke the kiss and looked into his eyes, her heart melted, "I love you honey." He rewarded her with that smile, a smile that was only for her and his sweet 'I love you too', then she told him everything that had gone through her mind. They laid together and talked, and kissed and talked some more, until a couple hours passed, then they ate, got ready for bed, and talked some more. Penny now confessed to Leonard about all she learned about herself and told him how sorry she was and Leonard, being the man he was, told her not to worry, he loved her, and that would never change. Penny slept well that night securely wrapped in her husband's arms, in their beautiful bedroom, with the man she loved.

In another apartment, Alex lay in bed with Raj, he had offered to let her stay until she felt safe to go back to her apartment and even offered to sleep on the couch, so she could have the bed. However, that morning kiss, at the beach house, had changed everything, she now was confused, Raj was more than a friend now, and that Sunday night she had sex with him. She knew now the sex was because of a lot of reasons, he helped her, he rescued her from the press, he was sweet and the tension of the last few days, it was a relief. And now as she lay awake, she felt comfortable and content, in Raj's arms, but she really didn't know what her and Raj were together, and she didn't know how to feel about Leonard. She still cared for Leonard, but now she thought maybe she had some feelings for Raj, that weren't exactly the love she felt for Leonard, but they were still feelings. She didn't want to hurt Raj, she realized she cared too much for him to do that and she didn't want to lead him on, he was too nice for that, but she also didn't want to push him away because she couldn't understand her feelings, so Alex laid there awake and confused.

Sheldon Cooper laid awake in his room too, the events of lunch still fresh in his mind. Sheldon, was mad, mad at that stupid little hobbit, he was mad at Leonard and he couldn't let it go, because he knew something had to be wrong. Leonard was a tool, nothing more, he was smarter than the other monkeys that inhabited this planet, but just a little and that was why Sheldon kept him around, but he wasn't even close to he intelligence of Sheldon. Sheldon was Homo Novus, he was better than Leonard, he was better then everyone, Leonard had to be a fraud, that was the only thing that made sense in Sheldon's world and the only thing Sheldon's mind would accept. Sheldon knew there was an answer, Leonard had to have cheated, and he was never smart enough to fool Sheldon, so Sheldon just had to figure it out. He laid in bed, unmoving, only his mind drawing from his blood supply, when a smile formed on his lips, he had figured out, the common denominator, it was Alex. Alex worked for him, until she suddenly left to help Leonard, he probably requested her, she was his spy, that was the answer she was a spy, they stole some of his work, it finally made sense. Leonard was having sex with Alex, after all she was a much better mate than Penny, and he convinced her to steal his work. This was not Leonard's work, and he used Sheldon's work to get his idea and then stole it to come up with his project, it all made sense, it explained everything. Sheldon had his answer, he could now finally sleep, so he closed his eyes, satisfied his superior mind had solved the problem again and tomorrow he set this all straight.

Penny, woke up tired and but her mind alert, and while she made her morning trip to the bathroom, she thought about the night before, everything that happened. Now, as she lay back down and he held her in his arms, she couldn't believe she ever took a chance with their love, the night before, by the way she acted. In the light of day, everything seemed different, what he confessed was nothing, nothing at all, and she now just wanted to love him all day and make sure he knew how much she loved him. So she took advantage of his love for her and begged him to stay with her today, used every trick she had to keep him with her. She felt ashamed to do this to him, but she needed him and the thought of him not being with her, was too much for her to handle that day, her mind consumed with needing to remove any doubts from him and making him understand what he meant to her.

The text came to Alex, as she rode into work with Raj, Leonard was taking a personal day off and wouldn't be in the office today. There was a little work she could do this morning, but she knew she would be distracted, because she really wanted to talk to Raj, she wanted to discuss them to him. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep last night, so she was tired and needed coffee and it gave her an excuse, it was the perfect time for them to talk. "Raj, Leonard isn't coming in today, so I have the morning off, can you have some coffee with me, after you get settled in this morning?"

Spending the morning with Alex, was perfect, Raj thought, "Sure, I'll get settled and answer my urgent emails, then meet you at the cafeteria in about 30 minutes, if that's okay."

Alex smiled, "That would be great, send me a text when you are ready, I have a couple things to do too." they both smiled at each other, as Raj pulled into the Cal Tech parking lot.

It was 9 AM when they got their coffees and sat in a corner table of the cafeteria, to talk. Alex was nervous, she really didn't know how to begin but the curiosity on his face made her go forward, "Raj, we need to talk."

Raj swallowed, 'Needing to talk', was always bad and Raj figured his time as Alex's girlfriend was now over. "Okay Alex, what do you want to talk about?"

"Us, Raj."

He was right, she was dumping him, he swallowed, "Okay."

"Raj, I have enjoyed the last few days and I don't know how I can thank you for what you have done for me, but…I don't want to lead you on, Raj. I'm not sure where we are going and I'm not sure this isn't just wrong."

Raj felt his heart breaking. "Okay….But…..Okay."

"Raj, I don't want to hurt you, and I don't know what my feelings for Leonard are right now. I haven't handled everything to well, so far, and I am not sure I am over him yet. I still need to be around him, I can't give that up, he inspires me, and to tell you the truth, if he asked me, I would run away with him in a minute."

"Alex, you know he is married. He loves Penny."

"I know Raj, I really do. I know I have to get over him, and I am working on it, but I'm not there yet. Raj, it is because of that, that I used you this weekend."

Raj looked at her is surprise. "Used me?"

"Yes, I have always been told the best way to get over a guy, was to find another guy and you were there and available. I'm sorry but I couldn't help myself, you are so sweet, and it was so easy to just be with you."

"So, I was just a weekend fling to make you feel better?" Raj wasn't mad, just hurt.

"I don't know, that is the truth. I do like your company, and the last couple of nights sleeping with you, have been…nice. But I guess what I am saying is that I can't promise you that this will lead to a relationship, I really don't know right now where anything will lead. Until, I can feel good about Leonard, I am unable to commit to anyone."

"I don't understand Alex, are we saying goodbye to each other now?"

"I don't know Raj, it is up to you. I'm just telling you if we stay like this, I can't promise it will not end badly. I don't know how I feel, I am confused and if you still want me around, I will stay around, but you need to know that it all maybe be just to use you to help me, that's all."

Raj nodded, he had a choice, either they kept things the way they were right now and he ran the risk of her walking away in the future and breaking his heart or they parted today and he still ended up with a broken heart. It was an easy decision to make, he was falling in love with Alex. "Alex, if you have to go on later, I will deal with that then. I like being around you and if I can help you, that makes me happy. I would like to keep things the way they are and just see what happens."

Alex smiled at him, he was truly a great guy. "Thank you Raj." Alex then took his hand and they talked about other things, things that made them both happy.

It was 10 AM when Alex went to her cubical, in the graduate studies offices, and learned she was needed immediately at Dr Gablehauser's office. She was convinced it was about Leonard's project and she would have to answer some questions or explain something in the report, so she happily went there as quickly as she could. When she was immediately sent into Gablehauser's office and saw him with President Seibert, she knew something was really wrong because sitting with them was Dr Sheldon Cooper.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

M-11

Penny actually went to her morning class on Tuesday morning, Leonard made her get up, she tried everything to get out of it, but for every excuse, Leonard had an answer. Her morning class was in a lecture auditorium with 200 other students, so no one noticed, Leonard sitting next to her and holding her hand. Penny probably only remembered half what was said, her husband's presence a huge distraction, but she knew Leonard would remember the other half, so she was okay. The library was worse and it took Penny twice as long to do her homework, even though Leonard quietly sat and read a book, she couldn't help looking at him and she felt like a 19 year old teenage girl with her boyfriend. She finally finished her homework and couldn't help herself, slipping off her flip-flop and putting her foot on Leonard's crotch while he innocently read his book, across from her, unaware his wife was so hot for him. The resulting squeal Penny let out, when Leonard grabbed her foot and tickled it, make them quickly leave the library and head to lunch, Penny giggling all the way.

Penny was having fun, and the cute little outside café they had lunch at only made her more amorous, that morning. She was completely out of control and every piece of food she put in her mouth was done with such excessive sensuality, that the meal could have been rated X for Leonard's wild wife. They walked in the park, hand in hand, after their meal, Leonard still wondering how they didn't get kicked out of the café and leaving one of the biggest tips in his life. Penny's public displays of affection, had more that one man looking at Leonard, with jealousy written all over his face and one jogger almost hit a tree he couldn't keep his eyes off them.

Penny, on the other hand, was not just having fun, she was plotting how soon she could do her husband. She thought about their no sex agreement for a minute and just that quickly dismissed it, she wanted him and nothing was going to stop her. She couldn't believe how turned on he made her, and it was taking all her will power not to drag him to the car and do him in the back seat. Even walking with him now, she would look at each brush thicket and grove of trees in the park, wondering if they would make a suitable place to bed her man down. She was just eyeing a very suitable stand of trees, when Leonard's phone rang.

Leonard pulled his phone out just to see who it was, not planning to answer it, he was not going to ruin his day with Penny, he was hers today, so work be dammed. However, when he saw who it was, he became concerned and looked at Penny. "It's Alex. It's unusual for her to call me like this. She never calls to chat, only when something important is happening…or something is wrong."

Penny hearing it was Alex, was immediately pulled from her happy mood and slowly nodded to Leonard. "Then you better take it, Honey."

Leonard walked a couple steps to a nearby picnic table and sat his phone on top, hitting speaker, so Penny could hear every word. "What's up Alex?"

Penny smiled at he man she married, he made it so she could hear every word between him and Alex, he was letting her know he had no secrets he was keeping from her, and she loved him for it. But Penny was soon shocked, like her husband, when Alex's first words were said through her sobs.

Alex tried to compose herself before she spoke but she was devastated, she had never, in her life, been called a cheat, especially at a meeting with such high ranking people in her school, "Leonard,….sniff….they say your idea is stolen…sniff….. they said we are frauds and criminals." Alex started sobbing again, she felt lost and didn't know what to do.

He could barely understand her, but what he did hear made him worried and he needed to talk to her, "Alex are you still at the university, if you are can you meet me in 20 minutes at my office."

"Yes" Alex managed to get out between her tears.

"Okay Alex, don't worry, we'll fix this. I will see you in 20 minutes." Leonard then hung up and looked at Penny. "We need to go."

Penny nodded, "Honey I can walk home from here, so you go ahead, I'll see you later."

"Penny, I need you to go with me, to the university."

"Honey, I trust you." Penny really wanted to go with him, but she didn't want him to think she didn't trust him with Alex.

"Penny, I'm not good at handling a crying upset woman."

Penny looked at him funny, "Sure you are, you always comforted me…." then she understood, Leonard always did comfort her, by holding her, rubbing her back, talking on a personal level with her and sometimes being sort of intimate with her, he didn't want to do that with Alex, he was telling her that. "Okay honey, Let's go." Penny took Leonard's hand and held it all the way to the car.

Penny and Leonard found Alex waiting in Leonard's office, she was a mess, all cried out, but still shaky and whimpering. Penny sat next to her and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her, as she told Leonard everything that had happened in Dr Gablehauser's office, that afternoon. Leonard and Penny looked at each other in disbelief and shock when Alex told them their accuser was Dr Cooper. Dr Sheldon Cooper said that he, Leonard Hofstadter, had stolen his work, is was just so unbelievable, it did not seem real. Alex, went on that they were suppose to brief their work at a meeting tomorrow with President Seibert and Dr Gablehauser and then Dr Cooper would present his work that they supposedly copied. The meeting was set up to start at 2 PM, and there may be board members in attendance too.

Alex then started whimpering again as she told them how Dr Cooper accused her of being a spy and then crying when she told Leonard that Dr Cooper told them she was having sex with him as a reward for her spying. Leonard looked at Penny and shook his head, Penny gave him a small smile and nodded, to let him know she knew it was a lie. Alex then told him that she was put on probation until this whole incident was settled and she was suspended from working with anyone, except the graduate advisor. Leonard felt so sorry for Alex, she was a wreck, so while she talked, he grabbed his phone and typed a text, **'RAJ GET TO MY OFFICE NOW. IT'S ALEX' **that was all he could do for her right now, to comfort her.

As he listened, he couldn't believe Sheldon would could ever think this way, he had been acting funny, but this. However, slowly Leonard was getting angry about the whole thing, they had ambushed Alex, and it just made him mad. They should have waited to address this with him, let him talk to Sheldon, not some poor graduate student who was trying her best to do her job. This whole thing was absolutely crazy.

Alex was done talking and Leonard looked at Penny, her face was easier to read than a book, it was like it was tattooed on her forehead. 'WTF?' Leonard told Alex nothing was her fault and everything was his problem, generally trying to calm her, waiting for Raj. He was also formulating his next move in his mind.

Raj burst into Leonard's office, to a sight of a very upset Alex hunched over in her chair, with Penny rubbing her back and Leonard talking and trying to comfort her. He was a little shocked, 'What was happening', he thought, "Alex?"

Alex had been upset now for over an hour, and needed someone to hold her, Raj's voice was like offering a piece of bread to a starving man, she turned her head, and stared at him, "Raj."

Then next thing Raj knew, Alex was against him, her arms around his neck, crying into his chest. He was truly worried about what was happening, and he wanted to make everything better for her, however he was also so happy that someone, as wonderful as Alex, would seek comfort in him. He rubbed her back and tilted his head down close to hers and talked quietly to her to try and calm her and get her to talk to him. Penny and Leonard quietly left the room to let Raj and Alex be alone.

Penny looked at her husband, and immediately realized she had never seen him look so angry in her life. "Sweetie, are you alright?"

Leonard calmed a little, at hearing the concern in Penny's voice, "Just give me a minute."

"Sure Sweetie." She then came closer to him and they both hugged each other, tightly and after a few minutes Penny could feel her husband relax.

"Honey, thank you." Leonard gently let go of Penny and looked at her, "I need to go to Gablehauer's office."

"Can I go with you?" Leonard looked at Penny and nodded, then took her hand and led the way.

Leonard and Penny made their way through the halls of Cal Tech to the offices of the Physics Department. Leonard took Penny into the office area and then to the door of Dr Gablehauer's office suite, reaching to open the door. His hand turned the door knob, and nothing happened, it was locked, Leonard just stared at it for a couple of minutes before he took out his phone and looked at it. It was now 5:15 PM and Dr Gablehauser always left at 5 PM sharp, Leonard just looked at Penny, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Penny looked at him, he seemed both angry and confused, she knew he needed her support, but what could she do? "Sweetie, do you have any idea why Sheldon would spread such lies?"

"No, not really. He has been acting weird since I came back from Switzerland, but to tell you the truth, I thought it was because of me moving along with you. Nothing like this."

"I really didn't notice Sheldon too much, I guess I had other things on my mind." Penny seemed a little embarrassed, she had forgotten about him, due to her own problems.

For a brief moment, the events of the last couple of months flashed through Leonard's mind and he felt extreme compassion for his wife and all she endured. "Honey, there was nothing you could do, you had too much on your plate already and you did great." Leonard moved a stray hair from her face and put it behind her ear, then moved in to kiss her. He was calming down, he knew what was important to him and it was this woman with his baby in her, everything else was just noise. "Let's go home."

Leonard and Penny stopped by his office, they were slightly surprised to find Alex in Raj's arms and they were kissing. They waited a few seconds until they broke, then walked in. "If you are feeling better, do you guys want to come over to our apartment tonight as discuss this more?"

Raj was surprised that Leonard and Penny were treating him and Alex as a couple. He looked at her, it was up to her after all.

Alex looked at Raj, here eyes asking if it was okay, Raj gave her a slight nod. "Okay."

"Alright, how about 7 PM, we can get takeout and eat dinner if that is okay?" Penny now jumped in.

"Great, we'll pick up the take out, Chinese okay, the unusual?" Raj was smiling.

Leonard looked at Penny as smirk on his face. "That would be great, see you at 7."

Alex and Raj left the office, holding hands, and Leonard locked it up following them with Penny. Leonard and Penny were alone walking to the car, when Leonard stopped. "You know even I saw that."

Penny giggled, "Pretty obvious isn't it." She grabbed Leonard's arm and leaned on him all the rest of the way to the car.

The distraction only lasted a few minutes and as Leonard and Penny drove home, they both got serious again, Sheldon's accusations of idea stealing on both their minds. They both couldn't believe their friend of over five years could make such charges, they never knew him to be outright mean spirited or so hateful to people. Sheldon was not mean, he was just brutally honest, he really didn't know to much how to be mean, that's what confused them so much. They both didn't know why he was being like this and therefore, were at a loss how to handle the situation.

Amy drove Sheldon home to their apartment, every time she thought about it being their apartment it made her smile. However, Sheldon was very quiet today and she felt something was occupying his thoughts. "Sheldon, is something wrong?"

Sheldon looked at Amy, like he just noticed her, even though he been riding with her for the last ten minutes, "Yes there is Amy, but I took care of it this afternoon."

"Oh, so everything will be alright?"

"Oh yes, I expect everything to return to the way it should be in a couple of days." Sheldon nodded to Amy, thinking, 'Leonard should be back in his place by then.'

They pulled into the apartment parking lot and went to the front doors, entering and just started up the stairs, when Amy stopped. "Sheldon, you go ahead, I left something in the car. I'll catch up in a moment."

"Fine Amy, I will get us some cold drinks, for when you get to the apartment." Sheldon then headed up the stairs as Amy went back to the car.

Amy had just got her sweater from the back seat of the car, when she saw Penny's BMW pull into the lot, she smiled and waived to her friends. Amy hadn't talked to Penny in a while, and she missed her friend some, so she waited till Penny and Leonard got out of their car so she could join them walking to the apartment building and riding up the elevator with Penny.

"Hi guys. Penny you are looking so good." Amy greeted her friends.

Leonard looked at Penny, confusion on his face, and Penny whispered, "She doesn't know".

Amy looked at her friends and noticed the tension in them, after a couple seconds, and she noticed it got worse the more they looked at her. "Is something wrong."

"Amy, there is a big problem between Sheldon and Leonard, you probably don't know about." Penny tried to explain to her friend.

"Oh, Yeah I know." Leonard and Penny shot looks at each other, that Amy saw. "Guys he'll get over it. It is just going to take a little time. He is getting use to me being his roommate, so he is adjusting to the change and you know how he hates change." Leonard and Penny were still staring at her, so she knew it must be more, and she decided to tell them the bigger problem. "Plus he is having problems with not being at the same place, or even farther along, than you Leonard. You know how he is determined to win a Nobel prize, well all the talk about you doing work worthy of that award, has him down."

"Well Amy, Sheldon accusing me of stealing his work, seems a little over the top for just 'Getting him down'. Leonard made little quotes in the air for the last three words.

Amy jaw dropped, "He accused you of what!"

"Today Sheldon went to the president of the university and told him all the work I have been doing, was stolen from him, by Alex, who I gave sexual favors to, so she would help me." Leonard was now mad again and Penny put her hand on his back to soothe him.

Amy was stunned. "Oh No! I never thought he would get so depressed to do something like this. I am so sorry, Leonard. Believe me I had no idea, he would do such a thing. I just thought he would get over this after a while." Amy was getting tears in her eyes. "Leonard, I guess I ignored his jealousy of your success, I just thought he was feeling down for a while. I am so sorry."

Leonard was never good around crying girls, especially if he was even a partial cause, all his anger was now gone. Penny grabbed Amy in her arms, to comfort her, tears starting to form in her eyes, too. Leonard was the first one to talk, "Amy, don't be upset. It's not your fault. We are not mad at you."

"Thank you Leonard, but in a way, it is my fault. I should have recognized he was getting this bad and stopped him."

"Ames, don't beat yourself up, Leonard is right, it is not your fault, Sweetie." Penny gave her another hug and a squeeze.

Amy stopped crying and gave her friend a little smile and nod, "Thanks, both of you. But now you have to give me a chance to fix this. Let me talk to him and see what I can do. Just give me a couple of hours and let me get back with you guys tonight, okay?"

"You sure Amy, we don't want to ruin your relationship with Sheldon." Penny looked concerned at her friend.

"No, I want to do this. You are my friends too, and I don't know how I could be with Sheldon, if he hurt you for no reason than to keep his feeling of superiority."

Leonard nodded, "Thanks Amy, we'll wait to hear from you."

Penny gave Amy one more hug, then Leonard and Penny watched Amy march to the apartment building doors and disappear inside.


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Amy's walk up the stairs went slowly, each step seemed like a mountain, she was trying hard to figure out how to even approach the subject with Sheldon. She knew in her heart that Leonard did not steal Sheldon's work, she had know him almost 3 years, so she watched him and had a working knowledge on how Leonard's mind worked. He had never shown that type of personality trait to even think to do something like that and he truly was Sheldon's friend, The other thing, that confirmed to her Leonard was innocent, was that Sheldon told her he didn't understand Leonard's work, so if it was derived from his work, why didn't he understand it. No, she had idea where this all came from, Sheldon was frustrated and his ego would not let him accept that a person like Leonard, who was not as smart as him, could actually do something in physics that could get him a Nobel Prize before Sheldon. Amy keep climbing the stairs and thinking until suddenly finding herself in front of 4A, not even remembering walking up the three flights of stairs.

Amy walked in to find, Sheldon, sitting in his spot, two cold lemonades on the coffee table, looking at her with a little bit of concern. "Amy is something wrong? You were down at the car for a long time, and your current expression does not contain the same happiness as when you left me."

"Sheldon, what happened today, that had you so distracted in the car?"

"Amy, I told you that was now solved, at least tomorrow it will be, so there is nothing really to discuss."

"Sheldon, you asked me if something is wrong, well yes there is, what happened today to you has me upset, that you are hiding things from me."

"No Amy, it was nothing, like I said it will be all over tomorrow."

"Sheldon, I don't know if I can stay here, if you keep secrets from me." Amy stood up.

Sheldon was surprised how Amy was determined to know what happened to him, and even more, that she gave him an ultimatum, tell her, or she was leaving. He didn't really want to tell her until it was over, he didn't thing she would mind him setting Leonard in his place, but she was friends with Penny, so since Leonard was now Penny's husband, things that impact him, impact her, so telling her now might upset Amy. If he waited to tell her after, it would be done and she would be more understanding that it was necessary. However, now she put him in a spot, he was not sure how upset she was and how long she would stay away, if she left.

"Well Sheldon, do you want to tell me, or should I leave?"

"Amy, it is no big deal, I'll tell you everything tomorrow, okay?"

"Goodbye Sheldon."

"No Amy, wait." Sheldon was stuck, he had to tell her something.

"Well?" Amy folded her arms and looked at her boyfriend.

"It is just something about Leonard's project. I brought up a problem with it to the administration." 'There that should satisfy her', Sheldon thought.

"What kind of problem and what did you tell the administration?" Amy wanted him to confess, he was not getting off like this.

'Why won't she stop asking questions?', Sheldon thought, "Amy, it was nothing."

"What kind of problem and what did you tell the administration?" Amy repeated.

Sheldon was now getting a little flustered, "Amy, it was just a small problem and I told the administration about it so they could correct the problem. So you see, it was nothing."

"SHELDON, WHAT…WAS…THE…PROBLEM?"

Amy was almost shouting at him, what was going on. "Amy, why are you yelling?"

"Because you keep doing everything you can to not tell me what you did, that's why!" Amy's voice was very loud still.

"But Amy I told you it was nothing." Sheldon was now feeling a little bit of panic, why was Amy so mad at him?

"Nothing! If it is nothing, why are you trying to hide it from me!" Amy was staring at him now, it made him cringe.

Sheldon couldn't understand why she was so angry, why did she want to know so bad, maybe she thought it had to do with another one of those graduate student girls that had been working for him. Maybe she was jealous, Penny acted like that when she was jealous. Maybe if he told what happen she would calm down and actually feel sorry for him, for what Leonard did. "Amy, okay, let me explain."

"Go ahead, I'm all ears."

"Amy, how can you be all ears…." Sheldon swallowed hard, Amy looked even madder and was glaring at him. "Alright, I have been studying the situation with Leonard and his project and I realized there had to be something wrong. Leonard is not the kind of person who does anything worth while, he is just someone who does the grunt work for real physicists like me. He lacks the intelligence to do ground breaking work, so I knew something was wrong, as they say 'Rotten in Demark'." Sheldon took a break, expecting Amy to say 'Oh, I'm sorry', but she was still staring at him and looked still mad.

Sheldon decided to continue, "Leonard is sneaky, like a rodent, so I had to expend some thought on the matter, but he really never had a chance against a HOMO NOVUS, like myself. I figured what was wrong, after a while, and when I discovered it, I was a little surprised it took me so long." Sheldon took another breath and still was surprised at Amy's face, it was still hard and disapproving. Well she would understand in a minute.

"Amy, it is easy to see. Leonard stole my work." There, now Amy would understand.

"How did Leonard do that, Sheldon?"

"Well that is why it took me so long to figure it out. At first I thought he stole it off my white boards and notes here, but that is only a small part of my work, most of it is in my office, so I had to think harder. Then it dawned on me, Alex! She had an attraction for Leonard since she first met him and was smitten by him, so much so, some one as common as Leonard could probably get her to do anything. Alex had access to my work at the university and if that was combined with my work at home, Leonard had everything." Sheldon smiled, Amy had to be impressed with his analysis and conclusion, he was a regular Sherlock Holmes of the Physics Community.

"Alex stole your work to give to Leonard?" Amy couldn't believe that Sheldon came up with something so absurd.

"At first I was skeptical too, but then Howard let the cat out the bag, and stated that Leonard and Alex were having coitus in Switzerland and that made everything fall into place." Sheldon now had a big grin on his face, surely Amy would understand now.

Amy shook her head, how did Sheldon get so bad about this. She had no idea he was so disturbed that he would make up such preposterous stories like this. "Sheldon, what did you tell the administration?"

"Well of course, that Leonard was a fraud, and his work was stolen from me by Alex, who was having coitus with him. Dr Gablehauser and President Siebert were quite concerned, and rightfully so."

"Sheldon what possessed you to conceive such a crazy story?"

"Crazy story! Amy I would have expected more support from you. My analysis was very well thought out and represents the only logical chain of events."

"Why because you dreamed it up!"

"Amy, I'll have you remember that I have 187 IQ, so I don't dream things up, I analyze and come up with the most plausible outcomes. I am completely right here." Sheldon was a little mad Amy was questioning him like this.

"Oh so you have a 187 IQ, so what you dreamed up must be true!"

"Amy I resent your tone of voice. But if you must, yes I have a 187 IQ, so my rationale of what happened is the correct scenario."

"Well smarty pants, I have a IQ of 190, and I say you dreamed everything up and slandered a good honest man to the university. So by your logic, since my IQ exceeds yours, only my scenario is the correct scenario."

Sheldon is speechless, all he could so was stare at Amy. She was yelling at him, but what really shocked him was that she said she had an IQ of 190. They both remained silent for a few minutes, Sheldon couldn't think of anything to say.

"Well?" Amy finally broke the silence.

Sheldon swallowed, "You have a 190 IQ!"

The way he said it insulted Amy, "Yes Sheldon, I have a 190 IQ, and if you would like you can come to my house and see the official results of all the different IQ tests I took. It seems people, when I was young, couldn't believe my IQ rating either, like you." Amy now took a breath, but she was still angry, both at what he did and now how he was acting about finding out her IQ. "So now tell me HOMO NOVUS, how are you going to fix the mess you made?"

Amy was talking down to him, and the little child in Sheldon was upset and wanted to lash back. He looked at Amy and got mad, she had no right to talk to him like that, he was better educated than her, she was a stupid hippy neurobiologist and had nothing to do with the real sciences, like physics. Sheldon stood up and towered over Amy, getting immediate satisfied when she backed away.

Penny, Leonard, Raj and Alex, had just finished their dinner, and were relaxing with a bowl of ice cream, each one with a different flavor, from Penny's pregnant wife craving ice cream collection. Alex was much more relaxed now and had sat the whole evening pressed up tight to Raj, like she was afraid he would somehow disappear. They hadn't talked too much about Sheldon or his accusations, because Leonard was hoping that Amy could talk some sense into the wack-a-doodle. The only new information, were some added details Alex was too upset to remember from earlier. However, now it seemed that the whole situation was hanging over them like a 2 ton elephant in the room.

Surprisingly Raj was the first one to speak, Leonard was so use to him being mute that it was a shock when he spoke. "Leonard, what are you going to do about Sheldon?"

Leonard stared at his friend for a few seconds, speechless, then slowly he got control of himself, "Amy told us a few hours ago to give her time to speak to him, so right now, I am just waiting to hear from her."

"Do you think she can do something?" Now Alex joined in.

"I really don't know, but even if she can't do anything to help, Alex, remember we didn't do anything wrong. I did not steal Sheldon's ideas and you were not an accomplice to something that didn't even happen."

Alex nodded, but Leonard could see the defeat on her face and noticed her squeeze herself closer to Raj, for comfort.

It was Penny who heard the soft knocks at the door first, and Penny who walked up and opened the door to find Amy. Amy was crying and obviously upset, they couldn't understand a word she was saying. Penny got her in a chair, trying to calm her down and Leonard got her some tissues.

"Sweetie, what happened? Sheldon didn't hurt you, did he?" Penny couldn't manage Sheldon hurting Amy, but she never seen her so upset, like this before.

"No….sniff…..Penny he was horrible…..sniff…he started saying that I was a horrible girlfriend for not supporting him and I was obviously stupid for being a neurobiologist. He is so invested in his delusion, he can't believe that anyone is capable of doing significant things in science, but him. I'm so sorry"

"No Amy, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you talk to him. This is between him and me." It broke Leonard's heart to see Amy like this, her and Sheldon's relationship was so fragile and he never wanted to do something to damage it. Then something else he saw made him feel even worse, looking over at Raj and Alex and saw that Alex had her face buried in Raj's shoulder and he could see her body shaking, she was crying.


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Amy spent the night in Penny and Leonard's guest room, Penny wouldn't let her drive home that night. It was late, almost 1 AM, when Penny crawled in bed with Leonard and told him Amy was finally asleep. They both were tired and confused, so Leonard just took Penny into his arms and she laid on his chest. It took them over an hour to fall asleep, each lost in their own thoughts.

Penny was toasting a bagel, in the kitchen, when Leonard came out dressed for work and walked up behind her. Leonard put his arms around her, resting his hands on their baby and kissed her on the neck, hearing her let out a small moan as she leaned into him. Penny then slowly turned in her arms and kissed him deeply on the mouth, not wanting to let him go, unfortunately she had to, she smelt the bagel burning. "Dam it, sorry"

Leonard chuckled, "It is only slightly burnt on the top, the rest is okay. I'll just put some butter on it and it will be fine to eat."

"You sure Sweetie, I can make another."

"No, it fine, really. Thank you." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

Penny buttered the bagel and put it on the counter near the coffee she had waiting for him, then picked up her orange juice as she sat next to him. She couldn't help the dread she had inside her and she felt so bad for he man, she loved so much, beside her. "Sweetie, are you going to be okay today?"

"You know, I don't really know. I just can't believe how crazy this whole thing is, it is almost like I am in a bad dream." Leonard took a bite of bagel and smiled at Penny, "Good."

Penny swatted his shoulder and tried to act happy, but her face got serious way to quickly. "Sweetie whatever happens, we will be okay, you know that. We have money to hold us over now, so that won't be a problem, and you have me. I will love you, no matter what happens and I am here for you." Penny reached over and put her arm around his shoulders pulling his head next to hers.

Leonard looked at his beautiful wife, felt her hair on his face, the smell of green apple, soothing to his senses, "Don't ever think I don't know that. You and our daughter are the most important people in my life and having you both with me, is the best thing I've ever experienced and I will never put anything before you two. Please believe that. You are so right, we will be okay, whatever happens. You were always the smart one in the family."

"And don't you forget it." Penny teased then got serious again, then put a kiss on his cheek. "Honey, just don't forget today, no matter how bad things get, I love you, I will always be here for you, waiting for you and nothing will make me not love you. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but….", tears were coming to her eyes, "I don't want you to forget,….sniff."

Leonard gave her a light kiss then took a tissue to wipe the tears from her eyes, "I love you too. I won't forget, I promise." he then sighed, "I better get this over with." he then stood up to go. "Are you going to be okay with Amy?"

"Yeah, I don't have a class until just before lunch, so I'll make sure she is okay before I leave. Amy is really pretty tough, she'll bounce back, but if she is still having problems, I'll stay and help her. I hope this is just temporary with her and Sheldon."

"Yeah me too." Leonard needed to leave but it seemed his legs wouldn't move, he just kept talking, "I wish you got some more sleep though." in his heart, he really didn't want to go, he suddenly thought how nice it would be to just lie in bed with Penny all day today, forget about everything and relax. He felt like he was crazy leaving his loving wife and the comfort of their home to go to what was probably be one of the worst days in his life.

Penny could see that he was stalling his departure, she understood him more and more each day and she had known a lot about him before they were married. She didn't want him to go either, but she knew and he knew, he had to. "Honey, I will be okay." Penny stood and touched the side of his face, then leaned over and kissed him, after a few seconds the kiss got more intense, she realized that had been a bad idea, now she really didn't want him to go.

It was about five minutes before Leonard finally pulled away, he was having a little trouble breathing and it was not because of his allergies. Penny was looking at him, her chest moving in and out quite quickly and she was biting her lower lip, her eyes were amazing, they were full of love. With will he never realized he had in him he told her, "I really have to go."

Penny just looked at him and nodded, "Yeah." she was still biting her lip, her eyes going from his eyes to his lips and back.

Leonard swallowed hard, and started out the door, but before he got to the stairs, Penny was in his arms again, kissing him. This kiss lasted even longer, their tongues assaulting her others mouths, they were kissing like two lovers who may not see each other again. Leonard had to reluctantly break the kiss off again, the look in his wife's eyes, making him weak in the knees. Again the thought of why was he leaving her came into his mind, "I love you baby, but I have to go, I'm sorry."

"Okay, I love you honey."

Leonard slowing walked down the stairs, wondering why he was leaving the most desirable woman he had ever seen or know, to go to the most stupidest meeting he would ever probably experience. Leonard finally made it to the first floor and when he left the stairs he saw the elevator was open and there she was, biting her lip and staring at him.

Penny was having trouble letting him go because she thought he was going to be hurt. He had been hurt too much in his life, and she knew she had been the source of some of that hurt, that is what bothered her so much. When she got in the elevator she actually thought she would get him and bring him home, so no one would hurt him, but now she was realizing she was being foolish.

She looked so beautiful, it made Leonard's heart skip a beat, and he went into the elevator and rode it back to the fifth floor, wrapping her in his arms, and kissing her even more passionately, if that was possible, than before. Leonard was a little late for work that day, but the feel of Penny's lips stayed with him the whole morning.

Leonard and Alex worked on his briefing that morning, this was a little different that his project briefing, this briefing being the explanation on how he came up with his idea for the project. They were done by noon, and went to lunch, but neither of them said much or ate much, both lost in their own thoughts. Leonard and Alex were in Dr Gablehauser's outer office, 15 minutes before 2 PM, for the meeting, Janice his secretary, giving them a sympathetic smile. They were brought into the office 10 minutes later, and Dr Cooper, naturally, showed up right on time.

Leonard had to present his briefing first, which didn't really make him feel too confident, because it gave Sheldon an advantage when he did his briefing. Leonard explained that he had been doing some experiments, for the Air Force, to determine if the returns from aircraft targeting lasers could be used to determine what the target was made of, because more and more, decoys were being used to fool attacking aircraft. While he was testing, he noticed data ghosts in the data sets, he was recording, which spiked his curiosity, first thinking they were errors, then realizing they were really something else. Further investigation into his data ghosts gave him indications that what he was really was seeing were returns from subatomic particles and that's what gave him the idea to use lasers to detect subatomic particles. He finally finished his briefing explaining the testing he did to verify that the data was real and had to be subatomic particles, before he made his proposal for his project.

Leonard was finished, so he sat next to Alex, he could feel how nervous she was, she really had taken this whole situation very badly. Siebert and Gablehauser talked quietly for a second, then told Alex she could leave, but please wait outside, they would talk to her later. Leonard felt so sorry for her, as she got up and then looked at him like someone who was going to the gallows, as she went to the door. Everyone watched her leave, except Leonard who quickly sent a short text, **'RAJ, DR Gs Ofc, ALEX'**.

Sheldon was next to brief, and he was suppose to brief his facts on Leonard stealing his work, so it was a surprise to Leonard when Sheldon, started to present an overview of his String Theory research. Sheldon went on for over 30 minutes on his research, its goals, and his progress, then he gave a very ostentatious briefing on why his work was so important and how it was more important than any other work in the university. Leonard sat there bewildered and when he looked at Siebert and Gablehauser, he saw the same expressions on their faces, as he had on his. When Sheldon finished, everyone, just sat there, not saying anything for several moments.

President Siebert was the first to speak. "Dr Cooper do you have anything else to present?"

"I think I have covered it all."

"Dr Cooper could you sum up, in a sentence, what work of yours Dr Hofstadter took."

"Yes, I thought it was evident in my briefing, but I can simplify it for you. He took everything, he stole all my work, as the groundwork for his project."

Now Gablehauser jumped into the conversation. "Dr Cooper, are you saying that Dr Hofstadter took your work on String Theory to develop and theory to detect and measure subatomic particles. Why would he do that?"

"I'm sorry weren't you listening, my work is to determine the foundation of the universe, it will define everything, Dr Hofstadter's work is just a tiny subset of that, insignificant as it may be, it needed my work to be a reality."

Siebert and Gablehauser looked at each other, neither said a word for a few seconds, then Siebert looked at Sheldon. "If there is nothing else, Dr Cooper, we request you wait outside, while we talk to Dr Hofstadter."

"Yes of course." Sheldon had a small, smile as he thought, 'Now Leonard, you will see your place'.

Sheldon walked out of the office and immediately saw Alex sitting next to Raj, leaning into him as he had his arm on her shoulder. Raj's face was extremely serious and his eyes almost seemed to pierce Sheldon, who just looked away.

Siebert rubbed his face then looked at Leonard, "Leonard everything Dr Cooper said is bullshit, isn't it?"

Leonard was a little surprised Siebert was so informal with him, but when he thought of it Siebert had started to be that way more and more over the last year. "Sir, I did not steal any of Dr Cooper's work."

Siebert nodded. "Leonard, Eric's leaving the university in four months to take a job on the east coast to be closer to his family out there." Siebert looked at Gablehauser, who just nodded. "Leonard, the board has already talked about this and we want to offer you Eric's job, when he leaves."

Leonard was stunned, really stunned, here he came in this meeting to fight for his academic life and now he was being offered a promotion. "Sir, I don't know what to say."

Siebert looked at Gablehauser, "Eric can I boot you out of your office for a couple minutes to talk something with him that is covered under privacy regulations?"

"I'll be outside."

"Thanks." Leonard and Siebert watched Gablehauser walk out and close the door behind him.

"Leonard, this work you are doing is amazing and is huge for this university too. You may or may not be considered for a Nobel, some of that is political, but to the people who count, you will be the father of subatomic particle detection, everyone will be using your work, everyone will want to talk to you and people will want to come here to work with you. For this university, it will be like having a Nobel Prize laureate and the board knows that, they also know other universities will try to take you from us. So here is the deal, in thirty days you will be officially offered Eric's job, but in reality it is being offered now. Of course there will be a pay raise, with the job, but in addition the board is offering you a $100,000 a year bonus to stay here. Also, Leonard, we will assign you an administrative assistant to do the more mundane aspects of the job so you can spend as much time in the lab as you want. Eric wasn't really the lab type, he was a great administrator, but I think you are more off a hands on person, so we want you to be happy here."

Leonard nodded, he was trying to wrap his mind around everything Siebert was telling him. "Sir do I have to make a decision now."

No, No, Leonard, I am making a preliminary offer to you now, but we are hoping you will be ready to give us your formal answer in 30 days when we make our formal offer. Also, I want to tell you if you need a little more, I know the board is willing to do some negotiation."

"So this thing with Dr Cooper is over?"

Siebert nodded, "I'm sorry we had to do this, but your work is so important, we couldn't even take the smallest chance that Dr Cooper could be right. I want to give you the universities apology on the whole manner. We have kept this whole thing restricted to just a couple people to prevent you or Ms Jensen any embarrassment."

"So Alex is cleared completely too. This really got to her, Sir, it really shook her up."

Siebert nodded, 'Let's get her back in and I'll let her know she is clear and we apologize."

The tension in the room was so thick that Janice thought you could cut it with at knife. Dr Koothrappali had been glaring at Dr Cooper the whole time and now her boss, Dr Gablehauser was giving serious looks to him. She was relieved when the door opened and President Siebert asked Dr Gablehauser and Ms Jensen back inside, however the scared look Ms Jensen gave Dr Koothrappali, disturbed Janice as much as it did Dr Koothrappali.

Janice estimated it was 10 minutes before Ms Jensen came out, and young woman that emerged seemed like a completely different person than the one that went in. She had the biggest smile on her face and she practically ran to Dr Koothrappali, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, really kissed him. Janice, cleared her throat after what seemed like a few minutes, which finally separated the love birds, Janice didn't want them to get into trouble, they gave her a smile, then left immediately, holding hands.

Sheldon sat there confused, thinking, 'Why is Alex so happy?' It made absolutely no sense to him, how being punished could make her so happy.


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Siebert sighed, 'Now there is just Dr Cooper to deal with." then he shook his head, "Leonard is there anything you want to suggest before we terminate Dr Cooper?"

"Yes, please don't fire Sheldon."

Siebert looked at Gablehauser then both looked at Leonard, disbelief in their eyes. Again Siebert was the first to speak. "Leonard after all he's done, you don't want me to fire him?"

"Yes sir. You don't know Sheldon, like I do, after almost a decade of being around him. It is hard to understand him, and no offense, but your are trying to judge him like you would judge me, but he is so much different. Sheldon, did not do this for revenge or for hate, he did it because in his mind, it is what happened, so he is actually being honest with you, as strange as it seems."

"But Leonard, he also said you slept with a grad student, it is not something this university can take lightly, he cannot go unpunished."

"Sir, I really wish firing him was off the table, Sheldon is a genius and a leader in String Theory research, if you fire him, it could break him and we loose a brilliant mind that could hold the answer. I think Sheldon could win a Nobel Prize and even if doesn't his work will help science, I don't want to see that all go to waste."

Siebert sighed for the second time in minutes, "Okay Leonard what do you suggest?"

"Nothing, you just thank him for his concern. Tell him his data does not provide sufficient proof in court for censure and if he finds anything more positive, to let you know. He won't be able to, but he may try anyway."

"That just seems to lenient for what he had done."

"Well there is something you could do that isn't actually punishment, but will drive him nuts."

Siebert and Gablehauser leaned forward as Leonard explained.

20 minutes later, Leonard walked out of the office and over to Sheldon who had been sitting in the outside office. "Sheldon, they want you back inside." Leonard then walked out the office a neutral expression on his face, which baffled Sheldon.

Sheldon walked into Gablehauser's office and closed the door behind him. He then sat across the table from Siebert and Gablehauser. "You wanted to see me?"

Siebert was the first to speak, "Dr Cooper, we like to thank you for any effort you put into this investigation, but we must inform you it is over and there will be no censure of Dr Hofstadter, Ms Jensen or their work."

"I don't agree, I've explained what had happened and I fail to see why you are pursuing the path you are now informing me of."

"The problem is Dr Cooper, yes you have laid out a plausible scenario, however Dr Hofstadter has also laid out a plausible scenario for how he obtained his idea."

"But my explanation is the only one that is correct."

"No Dr Cooper, your explanation is your story and Dr Hofstadter's explanation is his story, so it becomes your word against his, and without any hard evidence, we cannot take action against Dr Hofstadter. Unless you have some hard evidence, emails, papers, voice mails or anything else."

"No, but I am much smarter than Dr Hofstadter, my explanation should therefore be weighted heavier than his."

"That is not how it works in a court of law, Dr Cooper. If one of you could be shown to be more honest than the other, then that would favor their explanation, however there is no evidence of that either, so our hands are tied. If in the future you find hard evidence, we will be happy to reopen the investigation, but otherwise it is closed."

Sheldon just sat there and stared, "I assure you, you are making an error."

Siebert sighed, "The investigation is closed, unless you bring some new hard evidence to us, Dr Cooper."

As if on cue, now Dr Gablehauser started to talk, "Dr Cooper, there is however one thing I am concerned about, that has been identified in your and Dr Hofstadter briefings."

"What's that?" Sheldon, was still thinking about the Leonard situation, so Gablehauser's remark surprised him.

"It seems that you have shown that Dr Hofstadter and yourself have started at the same place in the work, you have been working on, however you are more knowledgeable and have a lead in the research. This begs the question, why has Dr Hofstadter made some significant breakthroughs and advancements and so far your work has turned up basically nothing."

"I told you he stole my work."

"Since you have explained that Dr Hofstadter is not as advanced in Physics as yourself, he can only steal work you have completed and will always be handicapped by having to first understand your work then try to use it, where you would be ahead of him because you would already be knowledgeable on your own work. So you should be logically ahead of him in research and should also be ahead of him in significant results from your work. However, we have seen nothing approaching the level of Dr Hofstadter's work, so please explain to me why."

Sheldon sat there not knowing what to say, Dr Gablehauser's logic did make sense, if Leonard stole his work, he would still be behind him and discoveries like his project should have been done by himself before Leonard thought them up. He was much smarter than Leonard, so he should have accomplished much more than him, unless his whole original theory was wrong, Leonard didn't steal his work, Leonard was just lucky. That could be a logical scenario, even if he didn't like using luck as the answer, Leonard accidentally stumbling into the data, and then by a stroke of luck, hitting upon an idea to exploit his findings, would explain everything. That made sense, because even people in Las Vegas hit the jackpot every so often, maybe Leonard was a lucky victim of mathematics and was the deviation that discovered something just because of chance.

"Dr Gablehauser, I may have been…..wrong." Sheldon sighed, "It now makes more sense that Dr Hofstadter, got lucky and stumbled into his discovery, that being capable of using my work to get there."

Gablehauser nodded and Siebert then spoke, "If that now is the case Dr Cooper, then you owe Dr Hofstadter and Ms Jensen formal apologies for trying to accuse them of stealing your work."

Sheldon now realized he was trapped, "I don't think an apology is necessary….."

Siebert didn't let him finish, "Dr Cooper, you have accused Dr Hofstadter and Ms Jensen of stealing your work, a very serious charge, and then using sex as a payment for that larceny. This is something the university frowns upon, so if now you are saying that your accusations were not correct, the university requires you to provide a formal written apology to the offended parties, by tomorrow."

'Tomorrow', Sheldon was stunned, he cannot do that, "President Siebert…."

Again Siebert cut him off, looking Sheldon right in the eye, his stare icy cold, "Dr Cooper we are done here. I want that formal written apology on my desk by 3 PM tomorrow. Good day Dr Cooper." Siebert then stood up, and Gablehauser stood up with him, Sheldon was dismissed.

Sheldon walked slowly to his office, trying to figure out what just happened. He had gone there to have Leonard straighten out and put back in his place, however now, Leonard was not disciplined, he was, and to make matters worse he had to write a formal apology to Leonard and that traitor, Alex. For a second he thought of not writing anything and just letting Siebert's deadline pass, but he was a little scared, Siebert seemed deadly serious about it, and Sheldon thought maybe Siebert had put a line in the sand and Sheldon better not cross it. He found himself standing in from of his office door, not really remembering how he got there.

Leonard got to his office, just when his phone buzzed with a text message notification. **'LEFT EARLY WITH ALEX, THANKS'**, it was from Raj and it made him smile, two people he cared about were happy. Leonard looked around his office and realized he would not get anything done today, today had been just too…weird! Leonard's thoughts immediately went to this morning and his wife, she had left a memorable impression on his mind, and the thought of Penny is his arms, seemed to be the most important thing in the world to him right now. Leonard shut out the lights and locked the door, he was going home early today, too.

Leonard made great time, driving home, he was just ahead of rush hour traffic, so he breezed through traffic all the way. Now as he approached his apartment door, he was trying to decide whether to start dinner or just take Penny out, when she came home from class, he had so much to tell her and it sort of was a time for celebration. However Leonard was not expecting the scene in front of him, when he opened his door, Amy was sitting on his couch reading one of Penny's magazines, the apartment completely quiet, except for him closing the door. "Um…hi Amy, is Penny here?"

Amy had turned to him when she heard the door open, "No Leonard, she went to class. You are probably wondering why I am still here. I didn't feel like going to work, so Penny made me promise to stay here until she came back, she can be very persuasive, as you probably know."

Leonard chuckled, that sounded so much like Penny, "Good. How are you feeling?"

Amy didn't know what to do, it was one thing to talk to Penny about her feelings, but she was not sure about Leonard, until she saw the compassion in his eyes and realized he only wanted to help. "I'm still a little shaken up with what happened last night and I don't really know where Sheldon and I stand right now."

Leonard nodded, "I'm really sorry we dumped on you yesterday Amy, believe me, I never wanted this to come between you and Sheldon."

"Leonard, I know that, and I would have been the same way with Sheldon, if I found out on my own, so please don't blame yourself." Amy then bit her lip, she had to ask him. "Leonard what happened today?"

Leonard gave her a little serious smile, "Everything actually went fine, it was like it never happened. Siebert, said Sheldon's theory was just a theory and until he had proof his theory was the right theory, the matter was over. So everything is sort of back to normal."

Leonard was not going to tell anyone about Siebert's promotion offer, until he and Penny discussed it and decided what to do.

"Leonard, that is so wonderful, Penny is going to be so happy." Amy smiled at him, then her smile slowly faded as she thought about Sheldon. "Leonard, what did they do about Sheldon?" She feared the worse, reprimand, censure, probation, or even termination.

Leonard sighed and began, "They wanted to fire him…" Amy gasped, "No, don't worry Amy, they didn't. They actually let me decide what to do."

"They did?"

"Yes, I explained to them how Sheldon, was and that he was not being evil, it was just what he came up with in his mind, to justify why my project was successful. I explained to them that Sheldon was different so they couldn't compare him to other people in their response to his actions. Also, I reminded him how smart Sheldon was and what a valuable asset he was to the university, so they just told him thank you and sent him on his way." Leonard was now smiling at Amy

Amy was looking at Leonard in disbelief, "That's it, it's over and no one is ruined? Oh My God, Leonard, thank you."

"Well there is one thing." Leonard now had a sly smile on his face.

Amy saw his face change from a casual smile to a wicked grin. "Tell me."

"Siebert is making Sheldon write an official formal apology to me and Alex, by tomorrow."

Amy looked at Leonard confused, "Sheldon doesn't know the first thing about writing an apology."

Leonard got this big smile on his face, "Yeah, I know."

It took Amy a second to understand, Sheldon was going to need a lot of help to do this, by tomorrow, and there was only one person he would trust or could ask to help, her. Amy felt like crying with happiness. "Thank you, Leonard", she grabbed Leonard in a hug, which he returned.

Penny walked in a second later, "Well is there something you both should be telling me." she was going to have fun with this.

"Oh bestie!" Amy got up and hugged Penny, who stood there surprised. Amy's hug wasn't too long. "Penny, you have one of the best men in the world. I have to go now and pick up Sheldon, talk to you both later." Amy was out the door.

Penny stood there confused as hell. "Um…. Do you want to catch me up?" then she saw the huge smile on Leonard's face and forgot the last couple of minutes. "Sweetie, everything went alright today?"

Leonard nodded, "Everything went great. Where do you want to go eat, we need to celebrate. Hell, I even feel like dancing. I know lets go to our place on the beach."

Penny nodded and smiled, quickly walking over and sitting in Leonard's lap and kissing him. Going to dinner could wait a few minutes, she had some serious making out, with her husband, that was left over from this morning, that needed to be done. It was an hour later, when a red BMW convertible, with the top down, left the apartment building parking lot, at 2311 N. Los Robles, heading towards the ocean.

**I JUST WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW IT MIGHT BE A FEW DAYS TILL THE NEXT CHAPTER, BECAUSE I HAVE TO GO OUT OF TOWN.**


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100

**HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER, HOW DID THIS GET TO 100 CHAPTERS. SINCE I WAS OUT OF TOWN, I AM GIVING YOU A LARGE CHAPTER TO MAKE UP FOR MY LACK OF TIMELY UPDATES WHILE I HAVE BEEN GONE. I ALSO TRIED TO PUT ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER. ENJOY.**

Sheldon sat at his desk, not knowing what to do, he was at a complete loss how to start the apology letter, and if that wasn't bad enough, he now also realized Amy had been right last night. It was killing Sheldon to admit it, but she had been right all along, and he had yelled at her and drove her away. She was smarter than him, it was funny, but he actually was not surprised, so much about Amy was amazing to him and this was just another one of those amazing things about her. He had almost been smiling thinking about her, but then he looked at his computer screen and the blinking cursor, Amy would have been able to help him get this done, but he had chased her away. Sheldon put his face in his hands, trying to figure this all out and suddenly he remembered how soft Amy felt, the strawberries her hair smelled like, her sexy figure on the beach, and the way it felt to hold her at night. These emotions were so strong in him, not having Amy hurt so bad, his heart hurt, he knew he loved Amy, he adored her and he didn't know how he could function anymore without her, it was then that Sheldon started to cry.

Sheldon didn't know how long he sat there, and for once in his life he didn't care, Amy now occupied his thoughts and everything else didn't seem to matter. He jumped when the alarm went off on his phone, it was the notification that Sheldon had only 10 minutes before he was suppose to leave work, so he should be preparing to leave. He went about his tasks of putting things away and shutting his computer down, but his heart wasn't in it, his routine gave him no comfort. Finally by the second alarm, his end of work alarm, he was ready to go and left, locking his office, heading to the door, he was on automatic, not even registering what he was doing. Sheldon had his bus pants on, and walked to building door, he had a long walk to the bus stop, so he just resigned himself to the task and walked out the door.

Sheldon didn't make it more than a dozen steps from the building, when he saw Amy's car, parked along the curb, the same location she always sat to pick him up. He stood there in disbelief, blinking, then rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and as the realization, of what he was seeing, became true, a small smile crossed his lips. Sheldon tried to walk calmly to the car, but he really wanted to run, he was getting happier by the second. As he got close he bent down to look inside, trying to think of the proper words to say to his girlfriend so he didn't screw things up, like the night before.

"Amy?" Sheldon was trying to maintain his composure, but seeing her here, was creating such joy in him, he felt he going burst.

"Yes Sheldon, I am here to pick you up, per the amended Roommate Agreement." Amy then gave him a little smile.

Sheldon swallowed hard and opened the door, to take a seat, more nervous than he could remember. "I didn't think you would be here after last night, and being gone this morning." He felt stupid saying that, it was his fault, all of it. "But I am very happy you are here."

"No problem Sheldon, I am just living up to the roommate agreement." Amy was trying to make everything as normal as possible, sort of like a relationship reset and she hoped Sheldon would catch on and accept it.

Sheldon couldn't believe his luck, he was getting a second chance, and he didn't want ruin it, the thought of loosing Amy was just too much for him. "Amy, I am sorry for last night. I was wrong and you were right. I am really sorry if I offended you in any way and please believe me, anything said last night was because I was angry, not because I really think it."

Amy was a little stunned, Sheldon was giving her a heartfelt apology. "Thank you, Sheldon."

Sheldon was still scared, and the thank you was just not enough for him, he had to let her know how he felt, he had to try and make her still be with him. "I love you, Amy."

Sheldon had said it so softly, she had to play it through her mind a couple of times before she believed it. Then suddenly it hit her like a brick and she pulled over, not being able to drive on and after she stopped, she turned to look at him. He had said he loved her before, but they both said it to each other, this was the first time he just came out and said it on his own, but right now Amy didn't really know where she stood with Sheldon. Over the last 24 hours she had been mad at him, tried to reason with him, was hurt by him, felt she was going to loose him and then thought everything was going to be fine, but where were the two of them really in their relationship. She suddenly realized she had been staring at him and not talking, as she saw the confusion building on his face.

"Sheldon….we need to talk when we get to the apartment." Amy then put the car back in drive and headed to their apartment.

Sheldon just sat there stunned, he didn't know what just happened, but he knew from Leonard, that when Penny said 'We need to talk' nothing ever good came out of it for Leonard. Sheldon sat there wondering what he would do if he lost Amy, too, like Leonard lost Penny years before. Leonard tried to replace Penny with Priya, but there was no replacement for Amy, she was unique, then Sheldon had a small epiphany, Leonard never really tried to replace Penny, it was always Penny, Priya was just his attempt to cope and move on, but she never really had a chance, it was always Penny for him. Sheldon looked at Amy, 'It has been always been you Amy, for me', he thought.

Penny and Leonard walked from the parking lot to the apartment building front doors, Penny giggling all the way. It had been a magic night for her, she felt so happy, she thought she was going to bust. She knew part of it was relief from the pressure of Leonard's project and Sheldon's accusations, and another part of it was the excitement of Leonard's promotion offer, however most of it was just that Leonard was happy and that made her happy. They had been talking and joking around all evening, everything Leonard said to her seemed, sweet, romantic, happy or funny, and she hung on every word he said that night. They cuddled together in a corner booth and both of them ate dinner with only one hand, because the other was either around or holding the hand of the other one of them. They also danced, slow dances, because that was only type Penny wanted to dance, she was wrapped up in Leonard's arms, her head on his shoulder the whole time. When the music ended and it was time to leave the floor, Penny had trouble letting him go, the feeling of him holding her, amazing in so many ways to her. The car ride home, was filled with talk and laughter, and she couldn't belief how short the trip seemed on their way home. However now they were home, and she couldn't wait to go to bed with Leonard and be in his arms all night, she had been kissing him all night, but now she really wanted to kiss him.

Leonard and Penny entered the elevator, and Leonard pushed the button to the fifth floor, watching the door close, Penny holding his hand. As soon as they both felt the little jolt from the elevator moving up, Penny's inhibitions, of how much affection she showed Leonard that night, were gone and she practically jumped on Leonard, wrapping her arms around his neck, and smashing her mouth into his, her tongue demanding immediate access. She couldn't get over how cute he was all night and she had been wanting to get more intimate with him all night. When the doors opened, they slowing left he elevator, Leonard trying to walk and Penny hanging on, she didn't know where they were and didn't care, all she was concerned about was Leonard. Leonard barely could think what he was doing, with Penny's tongue in his mouth and her grinding against him. He pinned Penny against the door, and she tried to wrap her legs around him, while he tried to get his keys out, finally trying to put them in the door, but there was something in the way.

Penny was an extremely passionate person and it was one of the things that Leonard loved about her, probably he always thought, because there was no passion in his home when he grew up. He had seen her like this before, but it always involved alcohol, so Penny acting like this, when she was totally sober, was actually a huge turn on, and he couldn't wait to get her inside, so they could make out like a couple teenagers in heat. But something was preventing him from getting his key in the door and his sexy wife into the apartment. He had to somehow get Penny unwrapped from around him, so he could see what was blocking the lock. So Leonard resorted to something extreme, he tickled her.

Penny couldn't passionately kiss Leonard and laugh at the same time. She pulled back from him, "Leonard?"

"I can't get the key in the door, something is wrong. Honey, you have to move so I can see what's wrong."

Penny's back was against the door, her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around Leonard's waist, she really didn't want to let go of him. So she didn't, she just shifted herself so he could look at the door knob and started to nibble on his neck. Mumbling, "Okay", her face buried in his neck.

Leonard was barely able to look at the door knob, but now he saw what was wrong, there was an envelope taped to his door knob, with his name written on it. He slowing pulled it off the knob with his one hand, the other was on Penny's derrière, helping to hold her up.

He then put the key in the door and opened up, carefully carrying Penny to the couch with him, while kicking the door closed behind him. Once on the couch, Penny was on top of him and he completely forgot about the envelope. This went on for almost 20 minutes before Penny took her top off and started to yank on Leonard's clothes.

"Penny, we can't. Remember we promised to wait till our honeymoon night."

"Leonnnnaaarrrd! Just a little bit." she sat back a little pout on her face. "Pleeeaasse!" he thought she sounded like a 8 year begging for candy.

Leonard, chuckled, "A little bit of loving? Is that like a little bit pregnant?"

Penny was on top of him, she got a little wicked smile on her face and she leaned down putting her hands on both sides of his face, her nose to his as she started to sway her chest back and forth, rubbing her breasts, in their bra, on his chest. She let out a soft moan, "Honey, I won't tell anyone, if you won't" She then started to give him little kisses on his face.

Leonard was loosing his resolve, Penny was like one of those Mermaids, in mythology, sirens of the sea, he was falling completely to her charms. If this lasted much longer he was a goner and the last month of abstinence, they both agreed to, would be for nothing. Then he remembered the envelope, and felt around the floor for it, he could use it as a distraction and maybe get his self control back. His fingers touched the envelope and he grabbed it, bringing it up between him and Penny. "Honey, this was on the door, shouldn't we see what it is."

Penny sighed, she looked at what he was holding, then something caught her eye. "Isn't that Sheldon's handwriting?" She knew what Sheldon's handwriting looked like, it was unique, and it was hard to describe, but if she did have to describe it, she would say it was arrogant.

"Yeah, you're right." Leonard wondered why Sheldon would put an envelope on his door, with his name on it. The first thing that came to Leonard's mind, was that Sheldon ran off to Texas again, and he sighed. He pushed himself up and Penny got off of him to sit next to him, putting her arm on his shoulder so she could read it at the same time as him.

Leonard opened the letter and started to read, holding it so Penny could read it, too. It was a printed formal apology letter, on university letterhead, like the one Leonard suggested Siebert tell Sheldon to write, Dr Sheldon L. Cooper PHD's signature was even on the bottom. But then there was a couple sentences in ink written below that, '_Leonard, I am truly sorry for what I put you through. Please forgive me. Sheldon'_, and it was definitely Sheldon's handwriting. Penny and Leonard looked at each other at the same time, Leonard could see she had a wide eyed look on her face and all she said was 'WOW'.

Amy lay in bed with Sheldon, it had been a long night, they had talked for a couple of hours, then she helped him write his apology letter. She had told him about her conversation with Leonard and how Siebert wanted to fire him, but Leonard told him that Sheldon was too valuable to science and they needed to keep him. She saw the look in his eyes when she finished, he actually was moved and it was easy to convince him to put a personal 'I'm Sorry' on the end. But that wasn't the big thing that happened that night, Amy let him know her mixed feelings on their relationship and how she wondered where it was going, she never expected him to tear up the relationship agreement and tell her he wanted her in his life and he would do whatever it took. Amy now laid there both happy and sad, happy that there were no rules to their relationship any more and sad because deep inside she wondered if she bullied him. It took Amy a couple of hours before she fell to sleep that night, her mind running in overdrive.

M-9

Thursday went by fast for Penny, she got up early, with her husband, to have breakfast with him and flirt and tease him, because he talked her out of love making, the night before, and he needed to be punished. However, the flirting got out of control, Penny again finding him to cute to resist, they ended making out and he was late again for work. She just made it to school on time, then was busy at the apartment finishing up her paper, for turning in on Friday, and studying for a while. By the time Leonard came home, Penny was sitting in front of the computer reading and reviewing her paper, before she printed the final copy.

Leonard's day went fast too, first he was 30 minutes late for work, which was embarrassing because he told Alex he would review with her today for her faculty evaluation of her dissertation. What made things worse was he felt that Alex knew why he was late, because she giggled every so often the first hour they worked together. It wasn't till they had lunch with Raj, that Leonard found out that Alex only got there 5 minutes before him, because Raj apologized to Leonard for making her late this morning. The rest of the afternoon went quickly and he hurried home with two pizzas for their dinner that night.

It was a quiet night for Penny and Leonard, Penny ate her pizza, working at her computer making changes and corrections to her paper, completely absorbed in the task before her. Leonard worked on catching up on his work emails, eating his pizza and looking over at his studious wife, every so often, smiling how cute she looked busy doing her school work. It was a little after 7 PM when Leonard hear the laser printer start and looked to see Penny grabbing the sheets of paper, as they popped out, reviewing each one.

"Done with your paper?"

"Yes, finally." She looked over at him with a smile of relief.

"You really put a lot of time into it."

"Well, I started the quarter, a little weak, so my grades weren't too good, you know. So I wanted to try and get an 'A' with this paper to get my course grade up to a 'B' at least."

Leonard smiled at Penny, "You really put a lot of work in this quarter, you're going to get good grades this quarter, don't worry, just do your best."

"Well since you helped me get course credit by taking those bypass tests, getting through this quarter gets me my associates degree, without taking summer school, like I thought I had to. So whatever my final grades are going to be this quarter could have a major impact to my GPA and I want that to be a good impact so I can get into the four year college for my bachelor's degree."

Leonard now looked at Penny in surprise, "You never said anything about wanting a bachelor's degree before, is that really what you want to do?"

Penny got a thoughtful look on her face, "I've been thinking about it the last couple of weeks and yes, I think I want a bachelor's degree. I sort of have the hang of school now and I like it, it does not seem as hard and scary, as it was before, so I want to see how much farther I can go."

"Wow, Smart and Beautiful, I hit the jackpot." Leonard teased her.

"Why Dr Hofstadter, do you say that to all your female undergraduate students." Penny tried to sound seductive and made her eyelashes flutter at him, making him chuckle.

"No, only the hot ones." Leonard teased

Penny giggled, "You mean the knocked up ones." pushing her tummy out.

Leonard laughed, "Come here, you sexy little knocked up kitten." Leonard started to lay his laptop on the coffee table as Penny walked over to him. When she was in front of her he lifted her t-shirt up to expose her baby bump. "I love you my sweet little daughter." Leonard then kissed Penny's belly and gently pulled Penny into his lap. "I love you my sexy hot baby mama." He then kissed Penny.

The kiss lasted a couple of minutes and Penny closed her eyes and enjoyed every second of it, finally reluctantly leaving Leonard's lips. "Um…..Honey, if you keep treating me this good, when I am pregnant, we are going to have a very large family."

A few funny responses came to Leonard's mind, but having Penny in his lap and kissing her felt so good, he just wanted to be serious, so her looked into her eyes, "I love big families." then kissed her again, this time deeper and longer, as their two bodies practically molded themselves together.

Alex lay awake, she couldn't help thinking about tomorrow, it felt like her whole college career was dependent on what happened tomorrow and it scared her. Leonard worked all day with her, to get her ready, and told her she was ready, but she still had doubts, she couldn't get it out of her head. Her dissertation was different too, which worried her, she was part of Leonard's project, it wasn't solely her own work, which was not the common way things were done. The faculty that she would defend her dissertation to, held her future in their hands, and that terrified her, she had to calm down or she would lay there all night not sleeping.

"Raj, how bad was it."

Alex was in bed with Raj, wrapped in his arms and he knew she was just laying there awake. He also knew that she was worried about her defense of her dissertation, he really felt sorry for her, she had gone through so much this week and he felt that was part of her problem and worry. "I don't really think you have to worry. If you are prepared, it is not too bad and Leonard told you, you were ready. You trust his opinion, don't you." Raj knew, she still was thrilled working with Leonard, so he hoped she would relax when he reminded her Leonard had faith in her.

Raj is right, Leonard said she was ready, and she trusted him, but she also had listened to how Raj made that statement about Leonard. Raj knew her feelings about Leonard, but he didn't know how much he was helping her get over the thinking of Leonard as a future mate. It was true, the best way to get over a boyfriend was to get another boyfriend, Raj was her boyfriend, he really was. She wasn't ready to say that she loved him, but she did like being with him and she did accept the fact that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend. That made her realize that she should start treating him like a boyfriend and support him, so she turned in his arms.

"I trust your opinion, too, you know." Alex then kissed Raj on the nose.

"Well then my opinion is that you will do fine. I have faith in you."

Alex's heart melted at his words, she started kissing him, and once she started she couldn't stop, she just couldn't let him go. Alex ended up on top of him, her body rubbing against him as they kissed like two lost lovers, and that fueled her desire for him. The passion in their love making was nothing Alex had ever experienced before and when they both reached their climax, Alex had never realized it could be so intense. It was amazing, but even when it was over and they laid in bed again, Raj held her like she was the most important person in the world to him, it was gentle but intimate and she was happy, soon forgetting all her troubles and falling into a deep restful sleep.

M-8

Raj woke up Friday morning to find Alex was not in bed with him, and for a spilt second, he wondered if it all had been a dream, until she came out of the bathroom with a towel over her, and one on her wet head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, I just felt like washing my hair before I went in today…..You know big day" Alex gave him a small forced smile.

"No, that's okay, I have to get up anyway…Alex you are going to do fine. I just know it, don't worry."

Alex smiled, Raj always knew the right thing to say. "Thanks, Honey." she bent down and gave him a quick kiss.

Raj couldn't help smile from ear to ear, she had never called him 'Honey' before. "I'll make us some breakfast, okay."

"Honey, my stomach is full of butterflies, a bagel and coffee would do me just fine."

'She said 'Honey' again', Raj thought. "Okay, I'll get the coffee going and get the bagels out. Butter or cream cheese?"

"Butter. Thanks." Alex then turned to get the hair dryer to dry her hair.

Leonard and Penny were sitting at the kitchen bar, drinking juice and coffee, while nibbling on some breakfast pastries Penny brought home the day before. She had actually gotten over drinking coffee in the morning now and even its smell didn't bother her anymore. She slept a lot better now and woke up feeling good every morning being with Leonard, she had adopted a routine and she was so comfortable with him, she thought back, if this is boring, she really liked boring, her life was very good, no more like fantastic and amazing, she seemed to enjoy every day of it now, as Leonard's wife. She reached over and touched his hand, which made him smile at her, her smile, the one only for her, and it sent goose bumps through her body.

Leonard got the call at 3 PM, while he was putting stuff away to leave early from work on this beautiful Friday afternoon. He talked to the person on the phone, his smile getting bigger and bigger as the short conversation went on, finally hanging up and nodding to himself and mumbling 'Good'. The call was from the chairman of Alex's dissertation defense panel, and he let Leonard know, she had done well, they accepted her dissertation, she was going to be a PHD, Leonard couldn't be happier. They had to celebrate, he was going to dinner with Penny that night, but now he felt it should be a friends night out.

**PENNY DO YOU MIND IF THE GANG GOES OUT WITH US TONIGHT? **

**NO THAT WOULD BE NICE, SOMETHING UP?**

**YEAH, BUT IT IS A SURPRISE FOR ALEX AND RAJ.**

**SPILL IT DR HOFSTADTER.**

**OKAY MRS HOFSTADTER, I JUST FOUND OUT ALEX'S DISSERTATION WAS ACCEPTED.**

**THAT'S GOOD RIGHT?**

**YES, THAT MEANS SHE IS GOING TO GET HER PHD.**

**THAT'S WONDERFUL, SHE DOESN'T KNOW? **

**NOPE, THEY SAID I COULD TELL HER.**

**OKAY, I'LL TELL BERNADETTE AND AMY ****J**

**DON'T TELL THEM WHY, I GET TO TELL EVERYONE.**

**OH OKAY L**

**I'LL TALK TO RAJ. I LOVE YOU BABE J ****XOXOXO**

**LOVE YOU TOO, HONEY J ****XOXOXO**

They were all eating at the restaurant, except for Sheldon and Amy, Amy told them Sheldon was just not ready yet to face them. There was a little hint of excitement in the air, by the way Penny and Leonard were acting and everyone else was wondering what was going on. The meal plates were taken away and everyone was waiting for desert when Penny couldn't stand it anymore and whispered to Leonard that he better tell Alex or she was going to.

"Guys I have some good news tonight." Everybody knew something was up so they looked at Leonard with extreme curiosity.

"I got a call this afternoon from the Chairman of Alex's dissertation board." Leonard stopped then to see Alex's expression. Alex was staring at him wide eyed, her mouth open, waiting for his next words. It made Leonard chuckle. "Alex's dissertation was accepted."

The expression on Alex's face was priceless. "Really!…Oh my God." Alex they turned to Raj, "Raj, I'm going to be a PHD!"

Raj was smiling and nodding. "That is so great…." Raj never finished his sentence because Alex was now kissing him.

The rest of the night, everyone was offering Alex their congratulations, and Leonard could tell Alex was on cloud nine the rest of the night. They even had a bottle of champagne to celebrate the event and Alex was so giddy, she was funny just to watch. The three couples even danced a little that night, Penny getting her slow dancing with her head on Leonard's shoulder, she so enjoyed. It turned out to be a wonderful night, and it was past 11 PM before any of them got home that night.

M-7

Penny and Leonard spent Saturday in the apartment most of the day, Penny studying and Leonard doing some work, both of them on their laptops. It was a lazy day, with them laying in bed till about noon, eating, then studying/working all afternoon, till about 6 PM. They then went out to dinner, to relax and talk and were back to the apartment by 8 PM, when Leonard got the phone call. No sooner than Leonard saying 'Hello' and finding who it was, he dropped onto the couch, with the strangest expression on his face that Penny had ever seen. She walked over to the couch and sat next to him, she could sense something was up and Leonard was having some difficulty, however she never expected to hear what she did.

Leonard just sat there talking to the person on the phone. "No it's not too late…..Yes I can have you added to the guest list…..No she is not coming…..Yes, you can bring her, I'll add two to the list….I don't know, No it is okay…..Do you need anymore information…..Yes Michael and Karen know everything….You too…..Alright, I'll see you then, Father."

Penny stared at Leonard as he hung up and he looked up at her slightly confused. "Was that your father?" Leonard just nodded. "Is he coming to the wedding?"

"He wants too and he wants to bring his girlfriend, I guess they are engaged or something. Is it okay?"

"Sweetie that is up to you. Whatever you want, I support you."

"Well it all seems sort of weird, right now, but I guess it would be nice to have him there."

Penny kissed him. "Alright Honey, I'll tell my mom to add two more to the list. Will he be coming soon enough for the rehearsal dinner?"

"I think so. Just in case we better add two more to it."

"Okay, I'll tell mom that too."

Penny and Leonard did a few things around the house, but Leonard's mind was somewhere else the rest of the evening. They went to bed after 10 PM, and Penny laid on Leonard's chest, holding him, but she never sensed him going to sleep, all the time she was awake with him. She fell asleep, after a while, the sound of his heartbeat like a bedtime lullaby to her.

M-6

Sunday Leonard woke up a little happier, the shock of his father calling now mostly over and he also noticed Penny had slept past 9 AM for a change, instead of getting up to pee at dawn. She was laying on his chest so peacefully this morning, her gentle soft snores letting him know she was still sound asleep, her blond hair spread across his chest. It was times like this, when he just watched her, he couldn't believe how happy he was and wished that young Leonard would have known how good his life was going to turn out. He thought Penny was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but he also knew that was not the most desirable trait she had, she was the most loving person he had ever met, now that they were married, there was no reservations or commitment problems between them, she loved him unconditionally and that is what truly made him happy. He didn't know how long he laid there unmoving, not wanting to wake her, but slowly he felt her start to move as she was waking up. It took her a few minutes, because she had been in a deep sleep, but when she did fully awake, she turned her head to look at him quickly.

"I have to pee." She was out of the bed, heading to the bathroom a few seconds later.

Leonard got out of bed, his normal morning chuckle, at her actions, still on his lips, she was so adorable to him. He didn't think she would want to go to bed again because it was….., he looked at the clock,….11 AM! Wow, she really slept, he thought, well that was good, he then smiled, brunch sounded so good right now.

"Snuggle Bunny, you hungry."

"Yes" he heard from the bathroom, then he heard the toilet flush.

She came out wearing her pajamas, her hair having that just out of bed look, but she still had a little smile for him and she walked up to him to wrap her arms around his neck and put her head on his shoulder, letting out a small content sigh. "Good morning Sweetie." he felt more than heard her say into his neck.

Leonard gave her a kiss on her head. "You feel like going out and getting some brunch this morning, it's 11 AM, sleepy head."

Penny pushed her head deeper into Leonard's neck and he felt her nodding, "Just give me a couple of seconds."

They stood there for about 10 minutes, Penny nuzzling her heard into his shoulder and him slowly rubbing her back and giving her kisses on her head. He actually wondered if she was falling back to sleep, while standing there with him, until she slowly pulled her head up and found his lips, never opening her eyes. Their kiss was not very long, but it conveyed the way she felt, she was happy, content and in love with him. Penny then rubbed noses with him and opened her eyes, a huge smile forming on her face. "I love you so much, Honey." Her eyes had a little twinkle in them, "but baby and me do need to eat." They then separated and got ready for their brunch.

M-5

Monday was easy and laid back for Leonard, he just caught up with some work and Alex and him reworded a couple of areas in his paper, based on comments he had received. Leonard was really just doing odds and ends around the office this week, waiting for Penny to finish her exams on Wednesday so they could fly to Nebraska for their wedding. Alex actually made the day go faster, she was still giddy from the news Friday and today she was also hearing rumors of what Leonard told her floating around in the graduate student circles. So she was entertaining to watch and listen to, Leonard couldn't help but chuckle when she did something goofy and she didn't care, she would laugh with him. At lunch she talked a mile a minute with Raj about her day and Howard would look at Leonard, and shake his head several times during their meal. Leonard, smiled to himself, Howard was now learning how Raj felt when he became involved with Bernadette.

Based on the day he had, Leonard was in an extremely good mood when he walked into 5A that evening to find his wife on the couch, her nose buried into her history book. She was in such deep concentration, he didn't even think she heard him come in and he wondered why she was in such an intense mood. "Honey, didn't you take your history exam today?"

Penny looked up at him startled, "Oh….Yes."

"Is something wrong? How was the test?"

"It was too easy, I'm trying to check my answers."

Now Leonard got it, she had studied a lot, but she was not use to school and tests coming easy to her. "Did you find any errors?"

"No, but I'm only about half way through."

Leonard chuckled at her, and she looked up at him, she looked confused. "Honey, you did fine, believe me. I saw you study, you were ready for the exam, that is why it was easy. Babe, you are smart and prepared, you were going to do well on your finals, that is just logical."

Penny loved it when Leonard called her smart, he really meant it and it made her feel so good inside. She put her book down and smiled at him, "It's just….I don't know, I guess it is hard for me to believe I can do well in school. I was terrible in High School, I almost didn't graduate."

"That was before, Penny you have come so far, since I have known you, you are almost a different person, but you still are the sweet loveable person I fell in love with. Just enjoy yourself, you will do great, I promise."

Penny got up from the couch and put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Thank you, Sweetie. You always know the right thing to say."

"Hungry?"

Penny frowned. "Always. I am going to get so fat Leonard. Will you still love me when I am fat?"

Leonard smiled, "I will love you always, you are stuck with me forever." He kissed her and she let out a content sigh as she put her head on his shoulder after the kiss, to hold him close to her. "What do you feel like eating tonight, any cravings?"

Penny lifted her head to look at him, and bit her lip. "I have been craving a big juicy hamburger with mushrooms and cheese, and lots of fries."

"I know just the place, we can go whenever you are ready."

Penny grabbed her purse. "Let's go." They left the apartment arm in arm, smiling and softy talking to each other.

M-4

Michael had just gotten off the phone with his father, after giving him all the details on Leonard's wedding. His father already told him that he talked to Leonard and got his permission to attend, but Michael was still surprised he was going. The family had met his father's girlfriend, except for Leonard and Penny, but it was going to be weird him coming with her to the wedding and his mother not being there. Oh well, they were divorced and if Leonard was okay with it, he didn't really see the point of worrying about it, but he needed to give his sister a heads up on what was happening, before she ran into them at the wedding, so he picked up the phone and started dialing.

Penny was at home on the couch, stretched out, reviewing her school books, she had her last two exams tomorrow, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. After she finished the afternoon exam, Leonard would pick her up and they would head to the airport and then Nebraska. She was having trouble thinking about the exams and trying not to get excited about going to Nebraska tomorrow. She knew one of the reasons she was excited was that she would be with Leonard almost constantly for over the next two weeks and that made her so happy. Plus there would be no restrictions anymore to their love making, which when she thought too hard about it, got her aroused, which was bad because her cute sexy husband was sitting in the chair, next to the couch she was on, working on his laptop. Penny tried to get her head back to studying when their baby decided to take a jog in her tummy. "Oh My!"

"Honey, is something wrong?"

"No, but baby is awake tonight and wants to party." She pulled up her, no his, T-shirt to show him the baby's movement.

"Oh My is right!" Leonard reached over to put his hand gently on her tummy to feel his daughter move around. He looked at Penny and smiled, this was more movement than they ever experienced before and it was wonderful. "It doesn't hurt you does it?"

Penny smiled, he was always thinking about her. "No, it doesn't hurt at all, it just feels funny and weird, knowing there is a person growing and moving in my tummy."

Leonard smiled at her, and moved so he was on his knees next to her on the couch, one hand on her tummy and the other on the side of her head, gently stroking her hair. He leaned in and gave her a kiss that she readily accepted, then just looked at her after the kiss ended. "You are amazing, you know that don't you."

Penny smiled and blushed at her husbands loving comment, then bit her lip. "I keep seeing a large family in our future." She then leaned to meet his waiting lips again, this kiss much, much longer.

M-3

Penny and Leonard's bags had been packed since the weekend, so as soon as she was done with her exam on Wednesday, Leonard picked her up at school and they headed to the airport. Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Alex were already there, waiting for them, as they checked in and headed to the gates with their friends. The plane was on time, so it was after they were comfortably in their seats, that Leonard and Penny could finally relax from their day of tension and rushing around.

"Finally we can just sit." Penny got closer to Leonard and put her head on his shoulder.

"You are so cool, You are the ice woman."

Penny took her head off his shoulder, "What do you mean?"

"When I was in college, I was a nervous wreak after exams, until I found out may grades. If I was in school right now, wedding or no wedding I would be a basket case."

"Well that is because you were a nerd, and I am one of the cool kids."

"Huh?"

Penny giggled. "Oh did I tell you I could access my school account on my IPHONE and they are going to post our grades on their web site as soon as they are released. We all have special numbers, so we can see the grades, but not know whose grade is whose except our own. So I just have to check my phone, like I did when you went to the bathroom at the airport, and as soon as their posted, I can see them."

Leonard gave her a dirty look, she really got him. "Okey dokey"

"Well you know this new age of computers, you can do almost anything now, not like when you were in school, during the dinosaur age." Penny giggled harder.

Leonard gave her his best fake glare, looking over the top of his glasses, he then teased. "Tell me again, why I am marrying you?"

Penny was really having fun with him, so she grabbed her belly and wiggled in her seat. "Because you have too. You ruined me for all other men."

Leonard gave up, she won and he just started chuckling with her. Penny got close to him again, until their noses touched and she silently mouthed to him 'I Love You', which he returned, which made them both need to kiss each other. The plane wasn't very full and the only passengers around them were Alex and Raj behind them and Howard and Bernadette on the other side of the aisle, so their kiss became a little make out session very quickly and it did have an effect on their friends. Alex and Raj started to give each other little kisses and cuddled each other close. Bernadette looked at Howard, and got up from her seat, then bent down to whisper to him, which made his eyes go wide, he had trouble getting his seat belt undone to follow her to the airplane toilet, a huge smile on his face.

Wyatt and his wife picked up Penny and Leonard at the airport, while Bernadette, Howard, Raj and Alex got a rental car to go to their Hotel. They all hugged and wished each other a good night, agreeing to meet at Penny's parents home tomorrow at noon. Penny and Leonard arriving at her parent's home by 11 PM, tired from the trip and a little hungry. They were sitting around the kitchen table having a little late night meal, when Penny's sister came in.

"Ok Sis, as soon as your done we can leave."

"Huh?….Where are we going?" Penny looked at her sister, confusion all over her face.

"You're coming to stay with me, until your wedding day."

"Huh?…..Who's idea is that?" Penny looked at Leonard, who looked as confused as she felt.

"Sweetie, you told me that you and Leonard have been abstaining from sex until your honeymoon, so we thought it would be good for you to not sleep together till your honeymoon." Penny's mom explained.

"MOM!" Penny was so embarrassed and regretted telling her mom about their little agreement.

"Dear, Leonard understands, right son."

Leonard looked at Penny's mom, really at a loss for words, "Ahhh…I guess."

Penny looked at her mom and then at her sister, 'Crap', she thought, why did she have such a blabber mouth and tell then anything, now she was trapped. "Um, I'll be done in a minute." She gave Leonard a defeated look.

Thirty minutes later, Leonard was getting ready for bed in Penny's old room, it felt so weird, being by himself in her parent's house, he couldn't even believe it. He got into bed after midnight, but he couldn't sleep, it just didn't seem right, Penny not being there. He laid there for a little while finally getting out his phone, **YOU ARE PROBABLY ASLEEP, BUT I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH. xoxoxo **he text her.

**I LOVE YOU TOO HONEY AND I MISS YOU. xoxoxo **he immediately got back on his phone.

**BABE, YOU SHOULD BE GETTING YOUR SLEEP. xoxoxo**

**I CAN'T I'M LONELY. xoxoxo**

They exchanged text messages for about 20 minutes before Leonard decided Penny needed to sleep and she couldn't if she kept sending him text messages, so after they exchanged about 10 I LOVE YOU's, she finally stopped. Penny now lay in bed, still wide awake, she felt alone, cold and far from comfortable, so she got up, if she couldn't sleep, then her sister needed to get up and keep her company.

It was almost 3 AM, when Wyatt got up to answer the knocking on his front door to find his two daughters standing there, in their pajamas, Penny's suitcases with her. "Dad, Penny can't sleep and she woke me up to tell me how lack of sleep was bad for pregnant mothers and their babies. She wouldn't stop talking, so tag she yours. Good night." Penny's sister turned and headed back to her minivan, then drove away quickly, Penny still standing there sheepishly looking at her father, who was trying not to laugh.

"You know where he is. I'll get your bags."

"Thanks daddy." Penny gave Wyatt a kiss on the cheek as she headed up the stairs.

Penny quietly opened the bedroom door, she didn't want to wake Leonard. "Penny?"

Leonard was still awake and could tell by her silhouette it was her. Penny just giggled and quickly went over to get in bed with him, she cuddled up against him and basked in the warmth from his body as he pulled her against him, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Miss me?" She teased.

"Yeah, I did. I couldn't sleep because it felt weird without you. I guess I really don't want to do this staying apart thing, your mother came up with."

Penny smiled as she laid in his arms, she felt the exact same way. "I can't sleep without you too. I agreed to not making love till our honeymoon, but not this. This is too much to ask, I'm not doing it." Penny pushed herself closer to Leonard and his arms tightened on her and then he gave her a kiss on her neck. Penny closed her eyes, just enjoying his touch, she was now warm, comfortable, safe and secure, she was asleep a couple moments later.

M-2

Penny's bladder didn't get her up until 8 AM, so she turned in Leonard's arms, kissed him and then reached behind him, to grab her warm robe, that Leonard always seemed to have for her now. She was curled back in Leonard's arms less that 10 minutes later, and asleep after only a couple minutes. It was 11 AM before she got up again, when her sister knocked on the bedroom door, she was really getting aggravated with her sister, but she knew she had a lot to do today, so she reluctantly got up.

Penny came down the stairs a few minutes before noon and shortly after the girls all showed up to a wonderful brunch her mom had made. Leonard introduced Penny to his sister Karen, who came in late the night before, and Penny hugged her and Dawn, her new sister-in-laws. Michael, Leonard and Karen also all hugged each other and talked for a couple of minutes quietly. There was also her sister and Bernadette there, Amy would come in later today, with Sheldon, who Leonard had forgiven, but was still a little mad at. Penny and Leonard had agreed that Sheldon should still remain in the wedding party, partly because they both had felt his apology was sincere and partly because they loved Amy and they knew she would be hurt not having him there. After all the greetings were done, everyone sat down to eat and talk.

"Honey, you and Leonard need to come down more often. I usually don't get to eat like this." Wyatt smiled at his daughter, as he put some sausages on his plate.

"Wyatt, not too much eggs and sausage, you know what the doctor said." Penny's mother scolded him.

Wyatt sighed, while Leonard and all the girls tried not to laugh. A couple minutes passed before everyone could compose themselves and the talk started again, Leonard amused while listening to the girls talking continuously about their plans for today, especially his beautiful wife. After they ate the girls chased the men out of the dining room and they all cleaned up quickly, in the kitchen, with even Dawn, Karen, and Bernadette pitching in. Then the guys watched from the living room as Penny and her entourage left the house and got into his sisters minivan, they had a lot to do today.

Leonard had a few things to do today too, the girls had given him a list, because he was a man and they didn't want him to forget anything. Leonard and Michael sat and talked to Wyatt for a little while, waiting for Penny's brother to show up. Wyatt was really enjoying talking to the two well educated, successful young men and felt proud that they were now part of his family. Finally Penny's brother showed up and they all bid Wyatt a goodbye, and got into Michael's white full size rental car, to get Howard and Raj.

The girls drove to each wedding task location, did what needed to get done, then moved on to the next. Penny knew her and her mom could have done all these tasks in half the time, but with all the girls there, it would never have been as much fun. There was never a dull moment and Penny had to admit, she loved being the center of attention, she was finally getting into the wedding mood and she felt like a blushing bride. She also loved how Leonard's very intelligent female family members, sister Karen and Dawn, were acting like silly schoolgirls, just like everyone else, she didn't know if it was just the silliness of the moment or they were doing it for her, but she loved them both for it. Penny couldn't wipe the smile from her face, she was having the time of her life and again she knew this was all because of Leonard, everything happy in her life, Leonard somehow had a hand in, he was just amazing.

That evening the plan was that girls and the guys would have dinner and separate bachelor and bachelorette parties at two different locations in Omaha. It was a little strange for Penny and Leonard, they were married and completely devoted to each other, so the normal theme of the party, the single person's last night out with friends, really didn't apply, they actually missed each other. However, they were going to make the best of it and just enjoy the company of their friends and family.

The men completed their tasks much earlier than the girls, so Leonard was eating dinner with Michael and the guys, while the girls were still off somewhere doing last minute stuff for the wedding. Leonard chuckled when he thought of Penny with her entourage of all the girls and her mother going from place to place in her sister's minivan. The girls had started to get silly before they even left her parent's house, so now after being together for over 4 hours, they were probably completely out of control. It was a blessing that Penny couldn't drink tonight, because he didn't think he would have been able to control a happy, sexy, drunk Penny, who knew he belonged to her and wanted him that night. So Leonard just enjoyed himself, sitting there with his friends, eating dinner right now it relative peace and quiet, unlike the chaos they had for brunch.

During the dinner, Michael got Leonard alone, he wanted to tell him something that he had been keeping secret from everyone, but Leonard had to know. "Leonard, I have to tell you what happened last Friday at Princeton."

Michael was smiling, almost laughing, he had Leonard very curious, "What happened?"

"Our dear mother was giving a lecture describing some of her theories from her latest book, I had stopped by, near the end, to watch. You never believe what happened." Michael was now chuckling.

Leonard couldn't help smile at Michael's amusement, "Okay tell me now, the suspense is killing me."

"Okay sorry. She finished her lecture and then when she asked for questions…." Michael snickered again. "Anyway, she asked for questions and the first question was, 'Are you Dr Leonard Hofstadter's mother?'" Michael was now laughing.

Leonard watched his brother trying to regain his composure, smiling while thinking his mother must have blow a fuse. "What did she do?"

Michael finally calmed down enough to speak again, there were tears in his eyes from laughing. "Nothing, she just stood there unable to speak, then after a few minutes she just walked out of the lecture hall. Everyone just sat in the hall stunned for about 10 minutes before they slowly drifted out." He chuckled again.

Leonard chuckled, "That sounds like mother."

After dinner, the guys followed Penny's brother, Jimmy, for Leonard's bachelor party, to a nice bar that had back rooms for parties. They all talked for a while, drinking a little, except for Jimmy who drank a lot, and just enjoying each other's company. That was until the girl showed up dressed in a lab coat and glasses, the stripper Jimmy had ordered to surprise his new brother-in-law. Leonard really didn't want this, he was madly in love with Penny and didn't want to have anything to do with a stripper, Michael, Howard, and Karen's husband were happily married and now uncomfortable, and Raj was in a relationship, so only Jimmy seemed happy to see her. The girl asked who was the lucky groom, and Leonard leaned into Jimmy to ask him to please say it was him and Michael asked Jimmy to do the same.

Jimmy looked confused, but he was half drunk and he knew the girl was going to do a lap dance, so what the hell. "It's me."

The other guys backed away from Jimmy and the girl did her act with him and looked at each other, not really wanting to watch Jimmy and the girl, instead thinking of the women each one of them loved. Luckily the girl left after stripping and giving Jimmy the lap dance and the guys could relax, Jimmy telling Leonard he didn't know what he was missing and the guys giving him sympathetic looks as he listened to Jimmy. The night was pleasant, but Leonard found himself missing Penny long before it was done and was even anxious to see her when Michael drove him back to the house after the party.

Penny really had fun with the girls, Amy now there and Alex joining them too, plus several of her old friends and family were present. A few of the girls got drunk pretty fast and the others were getting happy, amusing Penny to no end, her being the only sober one of the group, drinking her Shirley Temples. However her sister was like her brother, so after about two hours of partying, a man showed up in a lab coat and glasses, all the girls knowing it was a stripper. The girls were pretty wild by now and when he started his act, the cat calls and suggestive remarks the stripper got, by some of the girls from her side of the family and her home town friends, actually embarrassed Penny. The stripper was down to just a little G string and pouch to hold his junk, when he asked who the bride was and Penny's sister pointed to her. The big muscular man then walked over to Penny, obviously going to give her a special dance, his junk jingling in and out of its pouch, as he walked. Penny looked at the man, as he approached, and he reminded her of Kurt, she hated Kurt, he was the man who hurt Leonard, so when he stopped close to her and stared dancing suggestively, Penny got pissed and did the thing she did best, she punched him. The man was standing and Penny was sitting, the punch hitting him right in his junk, bringing him down immediately, wringing in pain. The room went silent, the only sound, the big man's moaning, all the girls staring a Penny, their mouths opened in surprise. Penny looked at Dawn and Karen and saw a sympathetic smile from Karen and a nod from Dawn, then she looked at Bernadette, Amy and Alex, seeing smiles and nods from them too, she didn't care to look at anyone else, the people who mattered understood and that was all she needed.

The man left after he could stand up, saying something about 'Crazy Bitches' before he left, which suited Penny fine. The drunken party recovered and the girls joked about how Penny decked the big man and how Leonard needed to watch his himself with her in the future. Penny listened and shook her head, she could never hit Leonard, no matter what he did, she knew that in her heart. The party finally ended about two hours later and Penny was ready to go, she missed Leonard, but since she was the only legally sober one, she made sure none of the girls drove home that night, before she left, driving her sister's minivan home with a load of happy girls.

Leonard was laying on the bed when Penny came in that night, he was working on his laptop waiting for her. As soon as she entered he gave her that smile, than melted her heart. "Did you have a good time?"

"I guess. It was alright."

"You don't seem very happy."

"Well everyone got pretty drunk and seemed to have fun, but my sister sort of ruined it when she had a stripper come in."

"Oh, you too huh."

"Why what happened at your party?"

"Jimmy surprised us with a stripper, too."

"Oh!"

"Well it got pretty awkward, with all the happily married men and Raj, being there."

"You were all uncomfortable?"

"Yeah, we were, all of course except Jimmy."

Penny smiled, it made her feel good that the guys didn't want a stripper and that her presence made them uncomfortable, she wished some of the girls had acted the same way. "What happened then?"

"Well she asked who the groom was, so we had Jimmy say he was, anyway he got a lap dance and strip, while we tried to ignore them."

Penny sat next to Leonard and kissed him, then kissed him again, she was so proud of him and loved him so much. "Thank you."

"It wasn't really that hard. When you have the best, why settle for less." he teased her.

Penny smiled again at him. "You are so right there Sweetie. That is what I tell all the girls about you."

"So what happened with your stripper?"

"I punched him in the nuts."

Leonard stared at her for a few moments, just looking at her eyes, then put his arms out so she could snuggle against him. "That's my girl."


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

M-1

Penny woke up about 9 AM, she had slept 8 straight hours, probably because she went to bed happy the night before with Leonard. Leonard was out like a light, he had drank four or five beers, the night before and Leonard was not a drinker, so although he wasn't hung over, he was sleeping like death warmed over, which Penny thought was adorable. For the first time in a long time, she was able to get up without waking him and after her morning bathroom ritual, she put on some clothes to go downstairs. Her mother and father were in the kitchen, so she headed there.

"Good morning Honey." Wyatt greeted her.

"Morning sweetie, where is Leonard." Her mom added.

"Leonard does not really drink, so he is still out as a light." Penny giggled. She saw her father smile, she knew he liked that Leonard wasn't really a drinker.

"The boy is not hung over, is he."

"No daddy. He was just a little happy last night and he fell into a deep sleep. He should be fine after he gets up, except maybe for a dry mouth."

"Well the girls will be over in a few hours, and we need a few things from the store, so Wyatt can you go for me."

"I'll go mom, daddy probably still has stuff to do this morning before brunch."

"You sure honey, I can go and do my work later."

"No daddy, I am completely able to do anything I want. Let me go to the store for you."

"Ok sweetie, I have a list here." Penny's mother gave her the list she had made for her father.

Penny headed to the store, in her father's pickup truck, with the windows open and the radio on, enjoying the drive, on one of the most beautiful Nebraska mornings she could remember in a long time. It so reminded her of when she first learned to drive and would go around in her father's pickup with her girlfriends, just enjoying the freedom it gave her. The grocery store was only 4 miles away, so Penny got there in less that 10 minutes, a little sorry the drive had been so short. She was in the store getting the things off her mother's list, not really paying attention to things around her.

"Penny?"

Penny stopped in her tracks, she swallowed and tried to put on a neutral face as she turned to the voice she recognized. "Good morning Jake."

"Penny, it is good to see you, but I am a little hurt that your family lied to me last month."

"What do you mean?"

"Julie came by the tavern last night and told me she was at your bachelorette party for your wedding. Your parents last month told me you were already married and pregnant, and this weird little guy said he was your husband."

"I am married Jake and I am pregnant." Penny lifted her billowy top to show him just a small look at her baby bump. "That handsome, successful, wonderful scientist is my husband."

"Then what is this about a wedding tomorrow?"

"We got married in a small civil ceremony, and we wanted a full blown church wedding." Penny wish he just would leave, she didn't really want to talk to him anymore.

Jake thought for a few minutes, "Penny, remember how great it was when we were together, we had so much fun, you know it could be like that way again."

Penny couldn't believe he was saying this. "I remember you broke up with me in high school, for the head cheerleader."

"Penny that was just a thing, it has always been you."

"Jake, I'm married and pregnant. I changed a while ago and grew up. I am with a real man now, who I love and loves me, it is an adult relationship. I am not leaving him."

Jake was a little mad at what she said and her inference that he was not a man or adult. He just responded like a child that was hurt and wanted to hurt back. "Really! Does your tight ass conservative scientist, really know about you Penny? What you use to do, all the guys you slept with, the threesome and your drunken escapades? Maybe someone should tell him about the real Penny."

Penny felt her heart drop to her stomach, she never told Leonard much about her past, when she lived in Nebraska, however, Jake knew everything. She shook her head and said quietly, "No Jake."

Jake smiled, she wasn't so uppity now. "Yeah Penny, maybe someone should tell him and I'm just the guy to do it. See you around." Jake then turned and walked away, an evil smile on his lips.

Penny stood there for a while unable to move, she wanted to just cry, but she willed herself to not make a scene. Penny slowly got the rest of the things on her mothers list and then got in the truck for the ride home, barely conscious of what she was doing. All the way home her mind was racing, the more she thought of it, she felt she was a real slut in high school and what would Leonard think of her, if he found out. By the time she got home she knew she had to confess to Leonard, she couldn't let Jake tell him, he deserved to hear it from her, but she was terrified what it would do to their marriage, how would he feel being married to a slut.

Penny brought the bags in to the kitchen to her mother. "Mom is Leonard up yet?"

"I heard some movement a few minutes ago, but he hasn't come down yet. Sweetie what's wrong?"

"Nothing mom, I just need to talk to him." Penny couldn't help a couple tears falling down her face and she ran up the stairs.

Leonard was sitting on the edge of the bed, he was awake now and just feeling a little wore out from last night's drinking. He was just about to put some clothes on and see where Penny was, when she came into the room and one look at her made Leonard worried. "What's wrong Honey?"

Penny sat next to him and buried her head in his shoulder, just holding him, trying to get her courage up. She didn't really know how he would respond to what she was going to say and she was scared that once she told him her past, everything would be ruined. She was going to just hold him a minute, but the minute turned into ten minutes, she couldn't let him go.

"Penny, what's wrong, Honey?" Leonard was getting more worried, finally she lifted her head and looked at him.

"Leonard I have to tell you some things."

Leonard was a little confused and slightly worried. "Okay, what is it, Honey?"

"Leonard, I never really told you all about my life before, I met you and Sheldon. I told you some of the stuff about when I was with Kurt, but I never told you about my life in Nebraska." Penny sniffed, she was having trouble keeping the tears from her cheeks. "I slept with a lot of guys when I was in high school and…..and I even was in a threesome with another girl and that guy Jake." Penny was breathing heavy and crying and trying to talk. "Leonard, I am so sorry, I never told you this before, that….that I was a slut." she was crying a little more, but still trying to talk, "I use to drink and party with all the guys all the time, I was a whore, I'm so sorry." She couldn't talk anymore, she was crying just looking at Leonard, his face never changed the whole time she told him. He just looked at her and she just wanted him to say something.

Leonard, took her face into his hands. "You are not a slut or a whore, you were young and a little wild, that's all. I already know most of what you did when you were young, so don't be sorry you didn't tell me."

"How….how did you know?" Penny looked at him and only saw compassion and love.

"Penny, when you use to get drunk with the girls, on girls night out, you would either come to me or I would check on you to make sure you were alright. You would talk the whole time about all kinds of things, when you were really drunk, as I tried to get you ready and in bed to sleep it off. One night you told me you were a terrible person and went on and on about all the stuff you did when you were young in Nebraska. You told me how Jake wanted you to do a threesome, so he got you drunk and you found yourself in bed with him and the other girl the next morning, you were only 17. You also told me Kurt wanted you to do one too, and that was another reason you left him. And you told me another time how you use to drink all the time and sleep with guys, you even tried to name them."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because, you really never wanted to tell me these things, so I felt if I never mentioned them, then you never told me. I knew things like that bothered you, and you would not have told me them if you were sober, so I just didn't say anything."

"And you still wanted me?"

"Penny you were young girl then, but now you are a young woman, it has been years ago. You were still a little bit of a party girl when you first moved in, but you changed. I admit, I was first attracted to your beauty, you were….are still really hot, but as I got to know you and found you were different from other girls, I discovered you liked people for who they were and not so much, what they looked like outside. You accepted all us nerds for who we were and didn't judge us, it was then I knew you had a good heart, and I fell in love with you. I hope to think I have changed some to you too, and that is why we are happy now, we changed a little and remained the same too. I love you Penny, I love you the way you are now, I didn't marry some teenage girl who doesn't exist anymore."

Penny stopped crying and just looked at him, she didn't know what to say, why did she think he would have said anything else than the beautiful words he just told her. "I love you Leonard. I don't know how I ever got so lucky to find you. I love you so much." Penny then put her head back on his shoulder and stayed in his arms, she never wanted to leave.

Penny's mom watched Penny and Leonard come back down the stairs about two hours after Penny went up. They were quieter that she was use to, but she saw them whispering to each other and giving each other kisses, so she figured whatever had Penny upset earlier was now over. "You two ready to eat, we have to be at the church at 1 PM and then there is a couple of things to do in the afternoon, then the rehearsal at 6 PM and finally the dinner. So you both need to get going."

"Mom, I'm not really hungry."

"Honey, it's over." Leonard whispered then gave her a kiss. "Forget about it all, relax, eat something, you have to think about the baby too."

Penny nuzzled his neck with her head on his shoulder, and whispered back, "Okay, for you and the baby."

Penny and Leonard were at the church at 1 PM, they were going to confession because they were having a Mass during their wedding and they were going to take communion. Penny, was in the confessional for a while, she told the priest everything she had ever done since she first had sex, she wanted her soul to be free for once, she really wanted to feel pure tomorrow. She actually felt good that Leonard knew about her past, it made her feel more virginal with him, she had no secrets, he now knew the worst about her and she now felt…..free.

After church, the girls went off to complete the last of the pre-wedding tasks they needed to do and the guys went off to get the white Lincoln town cars for the wedding. They finally got all back together at the church at 6 PM for the rehearsal. It was a strange rehearsal, Leonard and Penny had not seen Sheldon for over a week, since the meeting at Dr Gablehauser's office, and Raj was still upset with Sheldon concerning what he did to Alex. The second thing that was strange was that Leonard's father was there with his girlfriend.

"Well this is awkward." Leonard whispered to Penny as they walked in and looked around.

"My God, Honey. Your father and you look so much alike, in person. And his girlfriend….she….she has the same physical look as me!"

"Your, right. She is blonde, about his height, slim, she even dresses a lot like you, and she is very pretty too." Leonard teased Penny, "Wow, I could have a hot blonde step-mother."

Penny put her mouth to Leonard's ear and gave it a little love bite. "Sweetie after tomorrow night, I'm going to ruin you for other women, just remember that." She teased him back.

"Now I remember, why I am marrying you." Leonard chuckled. They then split up and Penny went to where the girls were and Leonard joined the guys in the front near the altar.

Leonard looked at the guys and immediately saw the tension between Raj and Sheldon. They were lined up, Michael, Sheldon and then Howard and Jimmy between Sheldon and Raj. Leonard knew, the original plan was for Raj to be next to Sheldon, but Howard smartly put himself and Jimmy as a buffer between them, and Leonard silently thanked him. He was going to have to talk to them both later tonight, he didn't want their hard feelings to ruin this wedding for Penny or him. Leonard was going to start and try to put people at ease right now, so as he walked up he hugged all his friends and brother, starting with Raj.

"Thanks for being here Raj, I really appreciate it."

"I'm honored to be here. Thank you for asking me."

"Thanks for doing this Jimmy."

"No problem Bro, anything for my sister and husband."

"Howard, what can I say, Thank You for everything." Leonard gave his friend a nod letting him know he knew what he was doing.

"Your welcome, everything will be fine. Enjoy yourself."

Leonard then walked up to Sheldon not knowing what would happen, but reached to hug him too. To his surprise Sheldon hugged him. "Thank you for coming Sheldon"

"Thank you for still having me Leonard. I'm sorry for any hurt I caused you or Penny." Leonard nodded and gave him a little smile, maybe having Sheldon here was going to be okay after all.

Finally Leonard hugged Michael. "Thanks for doing this for me brother. I can't tell you how thankful I am to you."

"It was my pleasure brother. I really enjoyed helping, really I mean it." They looked at each other both smiling.

They rehearsed the wedding, the priest quickly going over the Mass portion and the actual words. Leonard couldn't help smiling, seeing the large smiles all the girls had, while walking down the aisle, especially Penny who seemed to be glowing. They then did it a second time and skipped over the Priests part, to get all the motions and movement right and they were done, after about an hour and a half. Everyone then talked for a couple of minutes and then left, agreeing to meet at the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner at 8 PM.

The rehearsal dinner was quite large, all the wedding party, the family and all the out of town guests invited. Leonard was paying for the dinner, because it was tradition that the grooms family paid, plus Leonard wanted to make sure that everyone came who was suppose to come. They did and it turned into a real big event with everyone there, including President Siebert, Leslie Winkle, Barry Kripke, and several other of Leonard's friends and associates from Cal Tech. In addition their friends, Stuart, Cheryl and Dr Frank Oswell, and Dr Rogers and his wife, all came. Leonard was actually surprised how many acceptances he got from the invitations he sent to people at his university and their friends, it really make him feel good inside.

It was sometime between the meal and desert that Leonard got to talk to Raj and Alex. "Raj, Alex, I don't want to suggest how you should feel or act, but I would like to ask you a big favor."

"Of course Leonard, what can we do." Alex answered and Raj nodded in agreement.

"This wedding is a real big thing for Penny and her family and it means a lot to me too. Could you guys just ignore Sheldon until it is over, for me. No looks or words between you guys. Please for just the next 24 hours."

"Yes, sure we can do that." Alex then looked at Raj and gave him a pleading look, so Raj nodded. "Okay Leonard, I'll be good." Raj agreed.

The night went on a lot longer than planned, it seemed everyone had a toast to the happy couple and some of them made Leonard tear up and Penny cry a little. Michael's toast, to his brother and Penny, was especially touching and Penny had to tuck her head into Leonard's shoulder to keep from crying too hard. Amy and Bernadette's toast to Penny was both a roast and a mixture of emotion and Penny both laughed and cried during it. Leonard was moved many times but he was also tickled watching Penny, she was really enjoying the whole dinner and everybody there. Leonard was a little disappointed when it all ended, but it was late and they all needed their sleep, so him and Penny said goodnight to everyone one individually and when almost everyone was gone, headed to the exit themselves.

Leonard hadn't really talked to his father all night, so he was a little surprised when his father met him at the exit door. His father had some drinks that night, but he wasn't drunk, just feeling a little uninhibited, his girlfriend was hanging on his arm.

"Leonard, I didn't get to talk to you tonight. I want to introduce you to my fiancée, Morgan. Morgan this is my son Leonard and his wife to be, Penelope."

"Penny, Dr Hofstadter, everyone calls me Penny."

"Nice to meet you Penny, and Leonard, your father has told me so much about you." Morgan shook both their hands.

Leonard was a little taken back for words. "Thanks for coming father….and nice to meet you Morgan."

"Well we won't keep you, it is late and we can talk more at the reception." Leonard's father then stopped and looked at Leonard, finally putting his hand on his shoulder, which surprised Leonard. "I'm proud of you son." He then took Morgan's arm and left.

Leonard looked at Penny, who was smiling at him. "Damm….who would have thought it."

Penny, still smiling, kissed him on the cheek, "Come on Honey, I thing you have had too much input today and I need to get you to bed before your mind explodes."

Leonard chuckled and smiled, "True dat!" , they both laughed all the way to the car.


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102

M-0, THE DAY

Penny and Leonard looked at each other, trying to get the energy, to get up, after Penny's mother woke them up at 7 AM. Penny hugged Leonard for a few minutes then groaned as she got up to go to the bathroom, this time her mother was not going to let her go back to bed with Leonard, because her mother said she was running late already. Penny got a quick shower, at least she didn't have to put on makeup, then got dressed. She had just gotten her clothes on, when Leonard put his arms around her and she leaned back into his chest.

"Let's elope." She whispered

Leonard chuckled, "We did that already, remember Las Vegas."

Penny sighed, "Yeah, I now, done that, saw that, have the wedding rings to prove it. Well at least tonight I get laid."

Leonard chuckled, "Wow you are just full of romance on your wedding day."

Penny giggled and turned in his arms, so she was nose to nose with him, "Umm…can we just lock the door and ignore everyone, I'm ready for romance with you, right now."

Leonard smiled at her, she was being so cute and adorable and for a split second he considered her suggestion. "I would run away with you right now, but I have to see you in that wedding dress, or I would always wonder what you looked like."

Penny smiled then kissed him, "Well honey, I wouldn't deny you anything, especially seeing me as a blushing bride." she giggled.

"Penny you ready to go!"

"Crap." Penny kissed him, "See you later Sweetie." and Penny let go of him and headed out the door, closing it behind her. Leonard missed her already.

Penny arrived at her sister's house with her mother and all the girls from the wedding party were already there. The girls mobbed her, she got hugged, kissed and treated like she was the most special person in the world. Someone brought food so the talked and ate first, her mom complaining the whole time they were going to be late. Finally they all started to get ready, the girls all helping Penny getting completely undressed. They started dressing her in white briefs, a garter belt and white nylons, then they put a special white corset on, that went with her dress and was modified to not put pressure on her belly. The girls then got undressed and put their matching bra, panties, garter and nylon sets that Penny had bought with the dresses for them. Then came the long process of makeup and fixing their hair. The girls were working on each other, with Bernadette and Dawn working on Penny, Penny sat there and looked around at all of them and giggled.

Bernadette gave her a confused look, "What is so funny Penny?"

"I was thinking, a few years ago, if the guys saw all of use here, like we are now dressed or undressed, they would have had heart attacks."

Bernadette smiled, "I know, but you know now, I really believe, that Howard, Leonard and Sheldon, would probably lock their eyes on their wives, and girlfriends and not look at any other girl, Raj would probably leave and look for Alex. They have all changed so much, we are really lucky aren't we?"

Penny had a big smile. "Yeah we are, you are right, I couldn't even imagine Leonard's eyes anywhere than on me and knowing that always makes me know he is my soul mate."

Dawn was smiling and listening to them, "I feel the same way about Michael. We are very lucky indeed."

It took over an hour to get the girls makeup and hair all done, but they finally finished. The girls then all got around Penny and positioned her dress, so she could step into it, then helped her get all settled into it, so she didn't mess up her makeup or hair. She realized when she was a little girl and wanted to be a princess, like every other girl, this was about as close as a girl could get. She felt like a princess and all the girls were acting like her hand maidens, making her as beautiful as possible, for her prince charming. The girls, finished with Penny, then helped each other get in their dresses, so that they didn't mess their hair and makeup, and then everyone did their touch ups and they were done.

The excitement around her had been infectious and Penny was a giddy as she could be, just completing having the time of her life with her friends and family.

Michael and Wyatt drove up in the two white Lincoln Town cars to pick up the girls to take them to the church. Penny and her maid of honor, her sister, were riding with Wyatt and her mother. The rest of the girls were riding with Michael, who had to leave first so he didn't see Penny when she came out to the car, they were keeping her hidden from everyone. The ride to the church was only 20 minute, but Penny couldn't believe it, she was getting nervous, at first she thought it was because she was pregnant, but then she realized she was really nervous. She couldn't understand why she was nervous, Leonard was already her husband, this was just a second marriage, but then she realized it really wasn't, this was the real wedding, they were legally married, but Las Vegas was just a civil legal event, this was the real wedding, she sucked in a breathe she was now even more nervous. Arriving at the church was a blessing, because the girls now took over again and she didn't have to think about how scared she was.

Leonard's groom's men had seated all the immediate family and now with him went to the alter to stand. Leonard looked at them all and smiled, he couldn't help feel proud of them all, his brother, his friends, and he even had a special feeling for Jimmy. Raj was now standing next to Sheldon and like he promised he didn't do anything to start any problems. Sheldon had been very quiet too the whole time, reserving his comments to when specific information was required of him, only. He was still looking at them all when the music started, making him take a big breath and stare at the doorway the girls would come out of, he found he was suddenly nervous.

The bride's maids started down the aisle first, they were stunning, and Leonard looked at his friends and brother, as their eyes, stared at the beautiful women, that were their girlfriend and wives. Bernadette was first, then Amy, Karen and finally Dawn, each one looked gorgeous, with dazzling smiles on their faces. Leonard even noticed a small smile form on Sheldon's lips as he saw Amy walk down the aisle and turn in front of him, his eyes locked on her and her eyes locked on his. The flower girl, Karen's daughter, then came next followed by the maid of honor, Penny's sister, who helped the young girl get down the aisle.

Leonard was still smiling from watching the girls come down the aisle, they were all beautiful, Penny had picked such nice dresses for them to wear, but now Leonard couldn't wait to see Penny. However Leonard was not prepared for what she looked like, so when she came through the doorway on Wyatt's arm, Leonard gasped and a feeling he could not describe went through his body. She was beautiful, no more than beautiful, if he could really describe her, he would say she looked like an angel, an angel on earth. As she moved to where he was standing everything seemed to go into slow motion for Leonard, he just could not believe what he was seeing and felt he would be blinded by her beauty any second. She looked right into his eyes, her smile as bright as the sun and if she sprouted wings and a halo, he would not have been surprised. He suddenly felt he needed air and as he tried to understand why, then he realized he had stopped breathing as soon as he saw her, so he immediately forced air into his lungs. Leonard actually pinched himself, because for a second he wondered if this was all real, but as she came up to him, his nose confirmed what his eyes were seeing, as he breathed in her perfume. He never really heard the Priest ask who gave this woman away or Wyatt saying 'He did," he was still in a trance until Wyatt gave his daughter's hand to him and he took it like it was the most precious thing in the universe.

Penny had watched Leonard as soon as she walked through the door and his face, as he gazed at her, made her heart swell. Leonard was dressed in a simple tuxedo, the kind that made him remind her of James Bond, and he was so handsome, it gave her goose bumps. But his eyes, his eyes captured her and she saw all the love and adoration he had for her, it made her breath catch and she had to force herself to breathe normally as she walked. It actually surprised her when her dad stopped and she felt everyone could hear her beating heart trying to escape her chest, she was so in love with the man who was just a touch away. Penny's, something old, was a pair of white flat shoes, she got from her sister, they had the thinnest soles she ever saw, and no one would probably see them until Leonard removed her garter that night, because her dress went to the floor. She wore them because it made her just a hair shorter than Leonard, they could both stand up straight and look each other in the eyes, they were equals, partners, neither would dominate the other, and Penny knew her whole life with Leonard would always be that way.

The ceremony was beautiful and Penny felt she was floating on a cloud the whole time, she had never felt such joy in her heart. She had dreamed, when she was a teenager what her wedding would be like, with her soul mate, but this was even better than her dreams. When they said their vows, they had looked into each other's eyes and became lost in each other's souls, she had to control herself from weeping in pure joy. When they were told they could kiss, she found herself never wanting to leave his arms or pull her lips away and they didn't break until the Priest cleared his throat signaling them they need to finish the ceremony. As they were announced, to all present, as Mr. and Mrs. Hofstadter, Penny's heart swelled again, because now their union, felt so….forever and she was not scared anymore, he would be with her forever, she would never be alone again, her best friend would always be there and she would be happy, there was nothing she could wish for that would ever be better than that.

Leonard was in a state of disbelief and he pinched himself for the second time today to make sure he was not dreaming. Them being announced as Mr. and Mrs. Hofstadter to all the people in the church, was so amazing to him, and made him so incredibly happy. He glanced at the most beautiful woman in the world, holding his hand, and she was his wife, and although you couldn't tell by the wedding dress she wore, he knew their beautiful, smart baby girl was alive and well snug in the tummy of that beautiful woman. How did he get there, this was so much better then his wildest dreams, he had found his soul mate and now she was his wife, they were a family with their baby, this seemed like a miracle to him. As he walked down the aisle he turned and smiled to her and saw the smile on her face and in her eyes, she was as happy as him, how did he get so lucky.

The wedding party formed a little line outside the church and accepted the congratulations of people as they left. The weather seemed to be happy at their marriage too, because the temperature stayed at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the air was dry and the sun shine would appear off and on as the clouds went by, it was perfect. The pictures lasted another almost 2 hours and then the wedding party went in the cars to see a couple of Penny's very old aunts in the nursing home, who couldn't come to the wedding, so they could see the bride and groom, too. They arrived at the reception at almost 6 PM, the time seeming to fly by for all of them.

Leonard and Penny spent the first hour, just going from table to table talking to all the people who came. The freshly polished shoes Penny wore where old and comfortable, which she soon understood had been a great idea, because she had been on her feet almost constantly since this morning and she still wanted to dance later. Penny finally got to relax for a little, after they served the dinner, she found she was starved, and when no one was looking she even stole a little of Leonard's food, which almost made him bust out laughing at her sneakiness. After dinner came the toasts and some of them put Penny into tears, she couldn't help it, they were so beautiful. Each one of their friends said something and Penny couldn't believe what beautiful words came out of their mouths. Leonard's brother and Penny's sister, speeches were beautiful too and both had Penny and Leonard in tears, Penny couldn't remember a time when she had been so emotional and happy at the same time. After the toasts were all done, Bernadette and Dawn took Penny to the ladies to fix her makeup that was a mess from all the tears that fell down her cheeks that evening.

Penny didn't realize she would be going into the bathroom soon again, with Bernadette and Dawn, because the cutting of the cake turned out so funny, people were practically rolling on the floor. Penny was always ready to have fun and Leonard had been around her too long to not be the same way, so when they were suppose to feed each other cake, they both ended up with cake all over each other faces, and a crowd of people holding their stomachs because they were laughing so hard. After Penny and Leonard both went to the restroom to clean up, they sat quietly eating their cake, both snickering and giving each other evil little grins the whole time.

The band they had were a bunch of guys, in their 50's, that her dad had known, who had played together since they were teenagers. They could play anything, modern, classic, country western and even jazz, they were perfect. The first dance, Penny danced with her father, who she thought looked so handsome in his tuxedo, and she laid her head on this wonderful man and whispered 'Thank You daddy,' while they danced. Since Leonard's mother wasn't there he danced with Penny's mother, listening to her tell him how proud she was of him and Penny getting married and how happy he made their Penny feel. Finally Wyatt gave Penny to Leonard and Leonard gave Wyatt his wife, Penny and Leonard finally had their personal dance alone with everyone watching, holding each other close, oblivious to everything around them.

It was Las Vegas for Penny all over, but it was more, as she put her head on his shoulder, where she knew it belonged. This was her spot, with him, in his arms, the smell of his cologne mixed with the manly musk of him were like a drug to her, a soothing drug that made her feel so secure and happy. They swayed to the music and she became more and more lost in him, nothing else seemed to exist but him, she wanted to just stay in this spot as long as she could, forever if possible. She didn't even notice the music stopping, but he didn't stop dancing either, the band quickly giving them another song so they could continue to dance in the magic that now surrounded them. People around them were silent, everyone afraid to break this special moment between them, so it was not till the third song that some of them got on the dance floor with the happy couple, the first couple being Dawn and Michael.

It wasn't till the fourth song ended that Leonard and Penny noticed they weren't alone on the dance floor and each one of them had red faces of embarrassment for their friends and families. The silly traditional wedding numbers were now played, Penny's favorite the bunny hop and everyone made fools of themselves trying to be the best at the silly dance songs. The modern songs then were played, Penny and Leonard dancing a couple then walking around talking to people during the rest. However both had fun when the line dancing started and everyone again was laughing at all the couples trying to keep in sync with the music.

It was during a period, when the band was playing some rock songs, Penny and Leonard taking a small break together, when Leonard's dad and girlfriend, walked up. Leonard's dad and girlfriend smiled at them and Penny smiled back, however, when she looked at Leonard, there was no smile, his face was completely neutral.

"Penny I would like to offer our congratulations from both of us and ask you a little favor."

Penny looked at Leonard, who still had a blank expression, "What favor do you want." Penny was a little confused and she was worried about Leonard.

"Could you answer some wedding planning questions for Morgan, while I talk to my son alone?"

Penny didn't know what to say, she looked at Leonard, who just gave her a sad small nod. "Okay, Morgan do you want to talk over there?" Penny got up and as she walked away, she looked at Leonard, her heart feeling like she was deserting him, but knowing there was nothing she could do.

"Son, congratulations, she seems like a wonderful girl and your brother and his wife love her."

Leonard nodded, "She is the love of my life."

"I'm glad son, you deserve happiness, God knows growing up for you was hell."

Leonard shot his father a look, "If you knew how bad it was for me, why didn't you do something about it." Leonard accused his father.

"You're right, I should have done something, but instead I ran. I took all the trips out of the country, I could, volunteered for digs, and just tried to get away anyway I could."

"You ran! What were you running from!"

"Your mother."

Leonard looked at his father stunned. "You were running from mother?"

"Leonard, you are in your 30's and more mature than I was when I married your mother. We were both fresh out of graduate school, young successful PHD's and we had dated for 4 years, if you could call what we did really dating. We really didn't know each other, yet it seemed logical, now that we were done with our PHD's that we should marry. I knew your mother was wrapped up in her work, but I thought now that we were out of school, she would become more normal, I was wrong. On our wedding night we had sex, she never told me she had planned to get pregnant that night and even had her menstruation cycle timed out, so that night her chances of getting pregnant were high. Well to make a long story short, after a month, I knew our marriage was a mistake, so I was about to ask for a divorce when she told me she was pregnant with Karen. I couldn't leave her alone to have the baby and then after Karen came, I couldn't leave her with the baby, alone, she scared me."

"Huh, she scared you?"

"Leonard, if I would have left you guys alone, with her, she wouldn't have stopped with her mind games and conditioning of you children, I really believe she would have operated on you and had your brains modified. I couldn't let that happen, even though I couldn't stand to be around her."

Again, Leonard looked at his father in disbelief. "Your are kidding or at least exaggerating."

"Son, I came home from a conference a week early once, only to find that Karen was in the hospital, your mother said she had a brain tumor. I went in and talked to her doctor, and he told me that you mother told him, that Karen has serious schizoid problems and needed a new procedure, that was like a lobotomy, to fix her, and as her treating physiologist she authorized it. Son there was nothing wrong with Karen, your mother had a idea about a certain part of the brain, that she researched, and she felt if that part of the brain was removed, that the silly emotions that people felt would not longer be in Karen's brain and she could devote herself to pure science. She gave birth to Karen, so she could have her own lab rat."

Leonard just stared at his father in shock, he didn't know what to say. He still couldn't believe it. "Then what about me and Michael?"

Leonard's father swallowed hard, he knew this would come up and he knew he was now going to hurt his son. "Your mom and I went to a party at the university and both of us had our work officially praised, so we were both feeling good and got drunk. We were really drunk and when we got home, had sex, you came along 9 months later."

"You're saying, I was a drunken mistake!"

"Your mother always called you that and that is why you were never good enough to her. I could tell she even thought that the reason you are shorter than your bother and sister, was because she was drunk when you were conceived."

Leonard, looked at his father, Leonard was the shortest in his family, even his father, who he looked like was 2 inches taller than him. Leonard shook his head, it hurt, but it actually made sense, he remembered some comments his mother said when he was young that supported what his father just told him. "What about Michael?"

"You were a toddler and your mother was pissed she had spent so much time with you, but what really set her off, was that I got an award for the work I did over the past year, and she blamed me for her lack of achievement because she was stuck with you. We got drunk at the awards banquet, then drank more at home and fought. I woke up next morning in bed with her, but I really never knew if I had sex with her or not, because we fought and went our separate ways that morning, we separated. A month later she told me she was pregnant, but I had my suspicions the baby wasn't mind, especially since the baby didn't look anything like me and you know Michael doesn't look like you or Karen and he is much taller than everyone else in the family. I came back to mother to help raise him and the rest of you, and decided to at least stay till you all grew up and make sure you were not tortured by your mother. I once thought about getting Michael DNA tested, but realized what good would it do and if I did find out he was not mine, your mother then could do anything she wanted to him. Leonard you must never tell Michael about this, NEVER!"

Leonard just sat there wide-eyed looking at his father and nodded. "Why didn't you divorce after we all left home?"

"When you guys left, there was no reason for me to come home, so I stayed away all the time and wasn't bothered by your mother. Not seeing her, made me happy, so I just stayed away and led my life, thinking at least I could be normal the rest of my life. Then one day, I start eating at this restaurant and Morgan was my waitress, she talked to me and was interested in my work. I ate there more often and we talked more, until I finally asked her out, we had fun and went out more. I never had an adult woman love me, I realized if I didn't do something, I would never have love in my life, so I took a chance and divorced you mother and asked Morgan to marry me. I have never regretted my choice."

Leonard sat there a few minutes. "Father why are you telling me this all now?"

"I recently told Michael a lot of what I told you, and Michael told me what had happened to you and Penny. Michael is still mad at me, but now not as bad as before. Michael told me you, him and Karen were a family and I know it is maybe too late for me, but I would like you guys to accept Morgan. She doesn't have anyone but me, her parents are dead and she has no relatives, I'm going to marry her and I am hoping you kids will accept her. She is closer to your age than mine, and she is a good person, really too good for me, also she is pregnant with your step-sister."

Leonard, didn't know if he could take any more of this stuff his father was telling him, it was just so shocking. "Father, I don't know what to say and I don't know how to feel, in a way what you all told me is just too much to process in a few minutes time."

"I know and I am sorry. Take your time, there is plenty of time, as a matter of fact, forget about for now and just enjoy your day. We can talk more in a few weeks or even months."

'Forget about it, yeah right.' Leonard thought.

Morgan suddenly returned with Penny. "Honey, did you know Penny is pregnant and your going to be a grandfather again."

"Congratulations you two." Leonard's father said with a smile.

"Honey, did you know…." Penny didn't finish, because Leonard looked into her eyes and nodded.

Leonard then turned to Morgan. "Congratulations to you too, Morgan…..Father."

"Well son, I've took up too much of your time, so I just want to say I'm happy for you and Penny and wish you the best of luck." Leonard's father then offered Leonard his hand. Leonard looked at it for a few seconds, then shook it.

Penny hugged Leonard's father and then hugged Morgan, promising to stay in touch. Morgan then hugged Leonard and wished them both a happy marriage, before she left with Leonard's dad. Penny then sat back down with Leonard, concerned about the expression on his face.

"Sweetie, what happened?"

"Wow, I don't know even where to begin. Penny can I ask you a favor."

"Of course honey, anything."

"I promise to tell you everything, but not tonight, maybe in a couple weeks, because I don't understand it myself right now, and I just don't want to think about it now. I want to enjoy our wedding day and only think of you today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. I'll think about this later and then we can talk, okay?"

"Sure Sweetie. But there is something I have to confess, I like Morgan."

For the first time Leonard smiled, "That is actually good, because she is going to be part of the family, it seems." Penny smiled back at him.

Penny and Leonard got up and visited with a few more people, then got back up on the dance floor with everyone else. People were getting silly and there were a lot of people on the dance floor, Penny and Leonard had to talk and dance at the same time with people. Finally, the slow songs started again, so the people stopped talking while dancing and Penny was back in Leonard's arms, both of them enjoying the touch of each other.

"Oh My God!" Leonard whispered

"What is it Honey?" Penny also said quietly

Leonard turned both of them a little so Penny could see what he saw, making a little gasp come out of Penny. Howard and Bernadette, were just together just like Leonard and Penny, Bernadette nuzzled in Howard's neck, her eyes closed. Michael and Dawn were dancing and kissing at the same time, they looked so obviously in love. Sheldon and Amy were close together, with Amy's head on Sheldon's chest, both of them had their eyes closed. Raj and Alex danced with their faces nose to nose, quietly talking, their words only for each other. Finally, Karen and her husband, who Penny never saw before were dancing and Karen's head was on his shoulder, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face as she danced with him. Penny's eyes got a little moist, it made her so happy to see her friends and new family so happy together and it made the evening so much more perfect to her.

"Your right Sweetie, that is amazing." Penny gave Leonard a little kiss on the cheek then laid her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

It was after 11 PM when everything started to break up and people started to leave. It was also time for Penny and Leonard to start their honeymoon. Leonard had made reservations at one of the nicest hotels in Omaha, and when he carried her into the honeymoon suite, they both were surprised how nice it was. Leonard stood there, with Penny in his arms, for a few minutes while they both looked over the room, both chuckling at the sunken tub in the floor. Finally he put her down and they looked at each other, both of them as nervous as two kids who were going to have sex for the first time.

Penny bit her lip, then in a soft voice, "Honey, I'm going to need a little help getting out of this dress."

Leonard nodded and stepped behind her to undo the zipper and fasteners so the dress could drop down and she could step out of it. Once out, she took the dress from his hands and put it on the bed, then turned to look at him. Leonard was frozen to his spot, his heart beating a mile a minute, Penny looked incredibly sexy, she was wearing a corset that really enhanced her bust line, white nylons, with garters and white panties, she looked incredible. Penny watched Leonard's eyes look up and down her and his cheeks get red, his desire for her, just made her want him more. She could take the corset off if she wanted, but now she wanted him to take it off.

Penny walked slowly up to him, watching his Adam's apple move as he swallowed, then turned her back to him, "Honey, could undo this for me." Penny was trying to be coy, but his actions were turning her on so much that it took all her control not to tear his cloths off him. It became even worse when she felt his unsteady hands slowly unfastening the corset and them brushing against her bare back as he slowly undid it, it ran chills down her body. She closed her eyes as he got towards the bottom, she had to stay strong, she had a cute little white teddy she got for this night and she wanted to come to him in it. So she held the front of the corset, so it wouldn't fall away, and after it was done, she quickly took her overnight bag to the bathroom with her, "I'll be right back Honey."

When the bathroom door closed, Leonard shook his head to clear the helpless feeling he had just had. For those few moments, he was hers, completely, he could do nothing but stand there and obey what she said, he was so enthralled by her. But now his senses were coming back, so he grabbed his overnight bag and went into the second bathroom in the room to get ready for her. Leonard took a very quick shower and brushed his teeth, plus used mouthwash, finally adding a tiny bit of cologne. He actually got pajamas for tonight, and put them on, because he knew she would wearing something special and just standing there in his boxers just seemed not right. He was waiting for her, sitting on the bed, when she finally came out.

Penny has showered, brushed, gargled and put a little perfume on, similar to what Leonard did. She was wearing a virginal white, silk teddy, that had elastic just below her breasts, then the fabric billowed out, so it didn't even seem she was pregnant. Leonard gasped again while looking at her, she was incredibly beautiful, and just staring at her beauty made his heart beat faster. As she came into his arms, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him, while he put his one arm around her waist and the other on her tummy, which made her smile as she kissed him. "Honey, she is still there, don't worry."

Leonard chuckled, "Sorry, force of habit." then put his second arm around her to kiss her deeply, finally picking her up and putting her on the bed.

The first time they made love, Penny was amazed how gentle Leonard was with her, it made her feel like it was the first time for both of them, but it was so very much better than Penny's first time and when she reached her climax with him, she cried it felt so amazing. They made love two more times that night, each time Penny experiencing such intense pleasure, she thanked the day they decided to wait to make love on their honeymoon. She was finally too exhausted to stay awake and she could tell Leonard was tired too, so they quickly cleaned up and got in bed together, Penny wrapped in his arms, and she was asleep moments after her head hit the pillow, her last thoughts were how happy she was.


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Leonard and Penny laid in bed cuddling and kissing until about 10 AM, they wanted to stay in bed all day and just talk, kiss, hold each other and make love, but they couldn't, they had to get up and leave. They had to go to Penny's mother's house for a couple of hours, to see everyone and open their gifts, then to the airport for the honeymoon. It was hard on them, they wanted to stay longer, but they wanted to see everyone, too, because it might be a while till they saw them again. So they got out of bed to get ready, but even that was hard, they couldn't seem to get more that a foot away from each other and they both wanted to touch each other all the time. Their shower together took twice as long as normal, even though they agreed on no sex, because it would delay them. The only thing that kept them moving was needing to see everyone one last time before they took off for a couple weeks.

They got to Penny's mother's house a little late, so they had to hurry and open presents, while all the girls were there. The girls all helped and it only took an hour to open everything, Amy and Dawn making sure every person and gift were properly written down, so Penny and Leonard could send personal thank you notes later. The girls soon got giddy again and their men stood around looking at each other and shaking their heads at their wives/girlfriends acting like teenagers. Everyone was there, all their close friends from California, Leonard's family members and some of Penny's family, it just felt wonderful for Leonard and Penny, having them all around. They then got to visit for another half hour, after the gifts were opened, before they had to leave for the airport, which made them both sad because they really hated leaving their friends and family at that moment.

Once they left Penny's parent's house everything was rushed, they had stayed to the last moment, so now they had no time to spare. Wyatt drove them, because he was the most experienced going to the airport, and Michael rode with them. Leonard and Penny just got there in time to check in and when they got to the gate, they had already started the pre-boarding. They were taking a direct flight from Omaha to New Orleans, they had decided that their original plan to go to Hawaii would have to be delayed, till their first anniversary, since they were really only taking one week, then going to New England the next week. So they decided on a week long Caribbean cruise, that hit a different island each day, would be nice. However, they had to be in New Orleans and on the boat by 6 PM or it would sail without them. The flight wasn't too long but they didn't know how long it would take from the airport to the docks, so they arrived at the ship only 5 minutes before 6 PM, tired from hurrying and wore out.

Penny and Leonard went right to their room and Penny fell into bed, every day of her pregnancy tired her out more. As she laid there she looked around the room, it was beautiful, Leonard had gotten them one of the best rooms on the ship, using coupons Howard's mother had. It was a big room with a king size bed, a sitting area, a large bathroom and double glass doors that lead to a small balcony, which hung off the side of the ship. Penny smiled, now that they were there, everything seemed so nice and comfortable she was feeling better, and she felt a second burst of energy overtake her body.

"Sweetie, let's scout this ship out and find something to eat."

Leonard put their bags in the corner, and took her hand, "Lead away my darling."

Penny kissed him, then pulled him out of the room to start their adventure.

Penny and Leonard went on deck to watch the ship pull away from the dock, they had never been on a ship before, so it was exciting watching such a huge thing move. When the ship was actually moving into the Gulf, they decided to explore the ship and a half hour later came across one of the dining rooms where they could eat, Penny was starved by now. This dining room had a huge buffet, with almost everything, so Penny could pick things that would satisfy her cravings, plus there was so many different things there, she could fill up on her favorite low carb foods, and eat all she wanted with out taking on an obscene amount of calories. However, she couldn't pass up the Sunday bar, she was always a slave to ice cream, and she made up one that she thought was almost too pretty to eat, but she did, with gusto.

That night Penny and Leonard slept like logs, the gently rocking of the ship as it passed through to the water to their first island, was soothing, plus Leonard had a motion sickness patch on his thigh to prevent him from getting sick. The next day, Penny and Leonard laid in bed till noon, and Penny had to eat. Again they went to the huge buffet, so Penny could pick as much of the healthy food that she wanted. They ate and talked, holding hands most of the time, then went back to their room till dinner, this day was turning into a continuation of their honeymoon night, and they couldn't seem to get enough of being intimate with each other. They had a late dinner, then again spent the evening in their room, watching the sun go down while they sat on their balcony holding hands. That night they slept well again, in each others arms, happy and content from their day.

The next day Penny and Leonard actually got off the boat, taking a tour, then spending the rest of the afternoon on the beach. Leonard buttered up Penny, who seemed to enjoy the sensation a great deal, giving him little sexy comments and even a moan or two to encourage him on. When it was then Penny's turn to butter up Leonard, he gave her his SPF-50 suntan lotion, which she knew he bought and while he wasn't looking she pulled out a similar bottle of SPF-10, from her bag, and buttered him up, taking special care in certain locations that had him red cheeked before she was done. That night in the room, Penny noticed the define tan line when he took his swimming trunks off, his body starting to turn a little bronze.

The next day they decided to rent a jeep and explored the new island themselves, driving to a beautiful waterfall they heard about. There was a small beach around the pool at the bottom, and there were only a few people there, so they stayed there most of the day, getting more sun and swimming in the water. They laid in the sun for a while, Penny using her own suntan lotion on Leonard this time, telling him she lost his, then finally left late in the afternoon so that they could be at dinner on the ship. That night Penny noticed Leonard's tan had gotten even better, and she thought how Leonard tanned very well, and she liked how dark he was becoming.

It was the fifth day of their honeymoon and Penny and Leonard finally got out of bed at 9 AM, Penny was hungry, and they wanted to go to the beautiful beach they heard about at this stop. Penny and Leonard had been enjoying themselves the whole trip and both of them had gotten into a vacationer type routine, just taking each day as it came and relaxing. Leonard especially had become, what Penny kidded him about, a beach bum, he would go a couple days without shaving and his tan was getting darker and darker each day. Leonard's hair had been a little long for the wedding, Penny hadn't wanted him to cut it they got married, so wearing his loose baggy swimming trunk type shorts, a tropical shirt, unbuttoned, long hair that looked wind blown, unshaven, with a deep tan, he came out of the bathroom ready for the day. Penny about lost it, Leonard looked so freaking 'HOT!', he just dripped masculinity and when he put his prescription sunglasses on, Penny swallowed hard. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, as he picked up his wallet and stuff to put in his pockets, he was rugged and handsome looking, like he had just come off the set of Baywatch.

"Honey, about ready? You said you wanted to off the boat early today, so we better eat." Leonard smiled at Penny.

"Um….Yeah…..Almost." 'Get yourself together girl' Penny thought, but she couldn't get him out of her mind and couldn't stop looking at him as she grabbed her stuff.

They finally got out of the room and walked to the restaurant, Penny making a quick stop at the boat store, to get chap stick, while Leonard went ahead to get a table. It was a busy morning, it seemed that everyone wanted to eat at the same time this morning, so Leonard was told by the greeter that he had to wait for a couple minutes for a table to open up. Penny was slowly walking back up to him, when she saw something that made her as jealous as she had ever felt. The greeter at the restaurant, was a extremely pretty brunette, between 25-30 and she was talking with Leonard, no she was flirting with Leonard. The girl was so obviously hinting to him, she would like to see him later, from what Penny could hear, and she was touching his arm, he had on the podium, his left arm with his left hand, his ring was so visible, even Penny standing a few paces behind him could see it. Penny moved a little closer, the girl was chatting her man up, but now she could see his face, he had a forced smile, what Penny called his business smile, and he was just answering her questions, he was not really conversing with her. This needed to end quick, 'Damm Bitch!', Penny thought, she quickly covered the distance between them. "Hi Honey."

Leonard turned quickly, relief all over his face and then he smiled, her smile, the one that covered his face and went to his eyes. "Hey you.", he then kissed her, it was short, but it was passionate.

Penny stole a glance at the girl, she looked absolutely deflated, it made Penny smile a little more. "Miss me?"

"You know it." He gave her another peck on the lips. The greeter found them a table a couple seconds later.

The rest of the day, Penny never let Leonard out of her sight, and tried to keep him away from other women as much as possible. She saw several pretty women check him out and was even given at thumbs up by a very well endowed young blond as they walked on the beach. She knew Leonard would never cheat on her and loved her too much to hurt her, but it really pissed her off to see all these women checking him out like he was available. The final straw, was just before they went to the boat for dinner, Leonard took her to a local jewelry shop to buy her a trinket, to remind her of their day, the sales girl walked up to Leonard and started to talk to him about jewelry for him, like Penny wasn't even there. Penny couldn't believe it, she was completely ignoring her, his wife and then to make things worse she tried to touch his arm. It took Leonard a minute to realize what was happening, so when the girls hand came up, he took a step back with Penny. "Honey, I don't think there is anything here you will like. Want to try someplace else." Leonard then kissed her.

"Yes Sweetie." Penny was so proud of him, he was the perfect gentlemen and he didn't even see the glaring look Penny gave the sales girl as they immediately left. Leonard got her the cutest necklace at the next jewelry store, from a male sales clerk, and then they went back to the ship for dinner, but Penny was still on edge. She couldn't help this urge to take Leonard back to the room and dress him like a nerd, because every time a woman looked at him, like he was now, her blood would boil. Penny just couldn't relax while she ate dinner, she just looked at the women in the dining room, and stared down any of them that looked their way.

Leonard, noticed Penny was acting weird ever since the Jewelry store, and honestly thought he had done something wrong, but he had to find out what was bothering her, because when she wasn't happy, he wasn't happy. "Honey, what is wrong?"

Penny was embarrassed, "Nothing."

Leonard gave her a look that just shouted, 'Yeah Right.'

"Leonard, I just can't take other girls hitting on you, I never could. God Leonard, they have been undressing you with their eyes all day, haven't you noticed?"

"Nooo." He gave her a look of amusement and disbelief. "Why would you think that?"

Penny sighed, "Sweetie you look like a stud muffin. Hell, you are a stud muffin."

"Whaat?"

"Honey, I think every woman on this boat and stupid island has checked you out today. Hell that sales girl was about to take you to the back of the store if I didn't have your arm, and she didn't care if I was even there."

"No, that can't be….Honey, are you insecure?"

"Yes, Leonard, I'm insecure. I'm fat, pregnant and have a husband that looks like some one girls have wet dreams over."

"Baby, come on, I'm the nerd remember. You really don't see that."

"Leonard, ever since this morning, I've wanted to tear you clothes off and have wild monkey sex with you. I think half of the girls on this boat and island have had the same thoughts. Sweetie, you look 'Hot', really 'Hot', you got this bad boy, surf bum look down to a tee, you could probably bed any girl you wanted on this boat."

Leonard has a little smirk on his face, "But Honey, the only one that can bed me is you, I've got the 'Hottest' girl on the boat, island, or world…." he gave her a little kiss when he said each location, "….why would I settle for someone less. If I look 'Hot' it is only for you and if you want I'll wear my hoodie tomorrow."

Penny blushed. "Thank you my little stud muffin. You don't have to wear your hoodie. But no wandering off for you, I don't want some pack of girls kidnapping you and doing unspeakable sex acts with you." Penny giggled and it made Leonard Chuckle. That night Penny taught Leonard what wild monkey sex was, it was a lesson he soon wouldn't forget.

The next morning, they both had slept late, so were hurrying to get ready, Penny had used the bathroom first and was just finishing dressing when Leonard came out. She stood there looking at him, and just wanted to go hug and kiss him, he had shaved, put gel on his hair, to take that sexy wind blown look out of it, and was dressed a little nerdy. He had done it all for her, he had made himself look dorky for her, he didn't want her to feel bad, so he made himself look in a way women wouldn't notice him. The feeling in her heart for him was overwhelming, she loved him so much, but she couldn't let him go out like that, he was her husband and she was proud of him.

Penny walked over to him, put one arm on his back, her other on his chest, then kissed his cheek. "Honey, I love you and I love you want to do this, but I want you to be the way you are, yesterday you were relaxed and comfortable, the way you were and I love you that way. I don't want you to change, I will just have to learn to live with my husband being eye candy." She giggled.

"Baby, I don't mind, I'm happy like this, I love you too and I just want you to be happy."

Penny kissed him again, this time on the lips, "Come on, let's get you back to you, I am happy, you always make me happy." Penny lead him back to the bathroom.

The only way to get the gel out of Leonard's hair was to shampoo it out, so Penny undressed him and then herself and got in the shower. The night before had been terribly erotic for them and this morning those feelings were still there, Penny found herself completely flushed after undressing her husband. Penny made Leonard stand still while she washed his hair, then washed his body, then let him wash her body, finally ending up with them both wrapped together in ecstasy as they both climaxed in the shower. They ended up missing breakfast and eating brunch, Penny still catching women taking looks at him in the dining room, but now thinking, 'Eat your hearts out ladies, he's mine.'

The ship ported at noon on the last day, on schedule, so Leonard and Penny had plenty of time to check their bags in at the airport, then have a nice leisurely meal, before they had to go to their gate for boarding. This time they had to change planes in Atlanta, so they weren't going to reach Newark Airport till almost 11 PM. There were not many people flying from Atlanta to Newark on a Sunday night, so the airplane was very lightly loaded and there was no one within 5 rows from Leonard and Penny's seats. Penny was feeling good, happy and content, they had a row of three seats for themselves and after plane took off they had moved the armrests up so Penny could lay on the two seats and have her head on Leonard's lap, a blanket thrown over her. Leonard sat and gently rubbed her back, while his pregnant wife fell asleep, then slept the whole flight in his lap, softly snoring, he couldn't believe how happy it made him feel.


	104. Chapter 104

Chapter 104

The airplane arrived at Newark airport on time and as Leonard and Penny got their bags, they were met by Michael and Dawn outside of the baggage claim area. Hugs and kisses lasted a few minutes and the girls talked like crazy, while the guys got the bags and took them to the car. Dawn and Penny hadn't had much time alone during the wedding, so now they were catching up, talking constantly to each other, in the back seat, as Michael and Leonard smiled listening to their excited wives going on about anything and everything. The drive lasted over an hour before they got to Michael and Dawn's house, and the guys thought the girls would be talked out and tired, but no sooner then they got in, they started talking more about their pregnancies. Dawn had started to develop a noticeable baby bump, that you could see when she bared her belly, so her and Penny had their tops pulled up, exposing their bellies, comparing the size of their bumps, like a couple of school girls.

It was well after 1 AM and Michael shook his head, "How are we ever going to get them asleep?"

"Oh God, I just remembered, Penny slept for almost two hours on the plane, and she is wounded up tight right now, she is never going to go to sleep willingly. You guys don't have to work tomorrow, do you?"

"No, we both took off. You want to get something to drink and sit in my den?" Leonard gave his brother a nod.

It was after 3 AM before Dawn and Penny started to get a little wore out and noticed their husbands were missing. Searching they finally found them in Michael's den, asleep in the chairs, the girls both thinking how adorable they looked. They both went to their men and kissed them, slowly waking them up and taking them to bed, both couples sleeping to almost noon the next day.

The next day all four of them decided just to take a lazy day and see a few sights. They got ready and dressed, then went for a late lunch, in the historical district around Princeton. Penny had never been to Princeton, even thought Leonard had lived in New Jersey, so Michael gave them a grand tour, while Dawn and Penny would stop in little shops along the way to shop. This little shopping trip and tour was going great until, the girls spotted a maternity store, immediately letting the guys know they should go to the pub across the street, because they were going to do some serious shopping. Leonard and Michael ended up sipping beers in a corner booth talking.

"Michael, have you ever talked to father about him and mother."

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, we had a long talk over a dinner, when I gave him the information about your wedding. Why, what did he say to you."

"He told me about his relationship with mother, it was…..sad."

"Leonard, did he tell you how he worried mother would experiment on Karen and he couldn't trust her with us?"

Leonard nodded, "It seems almost too hard to believe. What do you think?"

"If I didn't hear them arguing one night, while you were in college, I would agree, but the stuff he said sort of was like what I remembered, when you and Karen left. Mother and Father were arguing one night and I heard Mother call you a drunken mistake who was probably short because of all the alcohol she drank that night. Father then shouted at her that she was a horrible mother and should be proud of all of us, especially you. I'm sorry Leonard."

"I'm sorry Michael, sorry for leaving you in the house alone with them."

"Leonard, there was nothing you could do, you know that. Besides it wasn't that bad after a while, they were hardly there together, and sometimes none of them were there, so they only really argued when they were together, which was rare. I wasn't actually surprised when they got divorced."

"Leaving mother for a waitress didn't surprise you!"

"Well him having a girlfriend 15 years younger than him did surprise me, but the divorce didn't."

Leonard nodded.

"Leonard, there is another thing. Dawn likes Morgan, she thinks she is good for Father, and I think I agree. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Penny likes her too. I'm not sure I can get my head around it yet. Did Father tell you she's pregnant?"

"No, he must have just found out, because he didn't say anything a few weeks ago."

"Well she isn't showing yet, so he might have just found out."

"I'll have to tell Dawn, that will sure surprise her."

Leonard chuckled, "I bet she knows already, Penny can't keep a piece of news secret, to save herself, so I bet she has already or will soon tell her."

"Yeah the girls have really taken to each other, it is almost scary." Michael chuckled.

"Be afraid, really afraid!" Both Leonard and Michael broke out laughing, both laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.

"What's so funny?" Penny looked at them confusion on her face.

"Yeah, what are you guys laughing about?" Dawn added.

"Nothing Honey." Michael responded, Leonard just nodding in concurrence, while he got his inhaler out to catch his breath.

"Men." Penny shook her head.

"Yeah, tell me about. Michael did you know Morgan is pregnant?"

The girls gave each other a look and then looked at their guys, as Leonard and Michael broke out laughing again.

The girls both had orange juice while the guys finished their beers, sitting for a while after shopping for almost an hour. They also showed their men everything they bought, which was surprisingly a lot and the guys knowing that they would carrying their bags the rest of the night, unless they stopped by the car before they went to the dinner. The girls were already making hints that since they got them knocked up, they were obligated to feed them immediately, when they were hungry.

The rest of the evening consisted of a long relaxing dinner, where Penny demonstrated to Dawn that it was okay to steal your husband's food, if it looked good or you didn't have enough to eat yourself. Michael tried to act shocked and offended as Dawn practiced Penny's food stealing methods, but he couldn't pull it off and just ended up being hugged and kissed by his wife. Penny, never to be outdone in affectionateness, kissed and hugged Leonard too, making sure he did not feel neglected. After dinner, they walked around Princeton at night, just enjoying the beautiful night, finally the girls getting tired and going home, they were all in bed and asleep before 11 PM.

Alex was at her apartment in Pasadena, her and Raj had arrived a few hours ago and him dropping her back here an hour ago. She had stayed with him for a while, after the incident with the press, but they decided it would be safe for her to go home after the wedding. Beverly had just left, she had talked to Alex for about an hour before she had to go, she was spending the night with her boyfriend, so now Alex was alone. Alex had been with Raj for about 3 weeks, sleeping with him every night, and spending most of her free time with him, but now she was alone and it felt so weird. She laid down on her couch and grabbed a throw pillow to cuddle, just laying there thinking, she then shivered, how come she felt so alone, now. She still wasn't sure how she felt about him romantically, she did have sex with him, three times, it was the best sex she had ever had with a boy, and she knew why, after the sex he would talk to her, kiss her, then they would fall asleep cuddling each other, she loved that feeling. He was also becoming a very good friend, maybe even her best friend, he knew things about her now, that Beverly didn't know and Alex had roomed with her for over a year. He also could talk to her, only her, and every time she thought about it, it made her heart feel good. It was 10 PM before she realized it, so she got slowly ready for bed, her heart wasn't into it, and she sighed when she finally got under the covers, her bed was cold and empty, she knew she wouldn't sleep for a while, if at all that night.

Tuesday morning, Penny got up early, she had to meet her agent, Nancy Wood, at the public relations offices of the clothing line that wanted her to be their face for their maternity line. She was both excited and scared, Leonard had been doing his best to give her confidence, and he has exceeded greatly, but she still had so deep seated doubt in herself she couldn't shake. Michael was driving her and Leonard to New York City for the meeting at 1 PM, so leaving early, allowed for a non-rushed trip, some time with Nancy and lunch, before she had the meeting. It was almost 11 AM when they finally met Nancy at her hotel restaurant and now Penny thought the butterflies in her stomach would carry her off before this afternoon was over.

"Um…Nancy, this is my husband, Dr Leonard Hofstadter, and his brother, Dr Michael Hofstadter."

"Wow, Penny you sure keep yourself in the company of some handsome men. Hi, I'm Nancy Wood." Nancy then shook both their hands. "Why don't we order, then we can talk."

Right after they ordered, Nancy got right down to business. "Dr Hofstadter, is it okay if I call you Michael, since there are two Dr Hofstadter's here?" Michael chuckled and nodded.

"And call me Leonard." Leonard added, which made Nancy smile and nod.

"Michael, Penny told me you were her lawyer, so I was wondering if it would be possible for you to come to this meeting with us?"

"I would like that." Penny told them, having Michael there would relax her. She looked at Leonard and he nodded and smiled to her.

"I'm fine with that, but what about Leonard." Michael felt his brother was being let out.

"Hey, I'm fine, beside how would it look if Penny's husband was there, just to watch? I brought my laptop, so I can do some work while you all go to the meeting."

"Leonard, I'll give you the key to my hotel room, there is WiFi, so you can work there in comfort, and then we will come back to meet you when the meeting is over, if that is okay?" Nancy suggested and Leonard thanked her. The group talked and ate till just before half past twelve, then Nancy, Penny and Michael took a ten minute cab ride to were the meeting was scheduled. Penny now feeling a little better, knowing she had Michael and Nancy to support her, during something she had never done before, her first new adventure.

Leonard had been on the computer, working and getting an update from Alex, from when Penny left till now, a little past 4 PM. He had just signed off with Alex, when he heard a couple knocks and the door click open to reveal Nancy, then Penny walking quickly to him with a huge smile on her face. Penny hugged him, then kissed him, and then hugged him, she was obviously excited and happy, which made him smile.

"I'm guessing everything went well." He chuckled.

"Oh, Leonard, I don't even know how to explain it, just yes it went well." but then Penny got serious, "Honey there is something though."

Nancy had been watching the exchange between Dr Hofstadter and Penny, waiting for this moment. Penny had been telling her how wonderful Dr Hofstadter was and Nancy saw that they were in love, but some spouses of people in the entertainment business were very possessive and tried to control and influence their significant other in their career, she wondered how wonderful Dr Hofstadter really was.

Leonard was just happy Penny was happy, "And that would be?" he teased her.

"Honey they wanted me to start modeling tomorrow, but I told them we had to go to the legal offices tomorrow to sign all the paperwork. So they said they needed me to do it Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and they wanted an answer right then."

Leonard quickly realized she would be working for most of the second week of their honeymoon, and that disappointed him, but the look of excitement on her face, was worth a little personal disappointment, he loved her being so happy. "You told them yes, I hope?" No one noticed Nancy sigh and the little smile on her face, Penny was right Dr Hofstadter was wonderful.

"Yes, I hope you are not mad or disappointed." Penny was again being serious.

Leonard whispered to her. "Baby I meant it when I said you could have it all. This is one of those steps to that. I am very happy for you and long as you are happy." Penny nodded, getting into his lap, then kissed him, again.

Alex sat there, after signing off with Leonard, she was in his office, doing some work. There had been some administrative changes to his report, so she would redraft it and send it to him for review and they had just gone over all his changes. It wasn't long now, his report was going to officially released soon and they already had 200 requests for copies, from other universities. Now it was after 1 PM in California and Alex hadn't eaten anything all day so she was a little hungry, but the thought of being in the cafeteria, alone, just seemed depressing.

**RAJ, HAVE YOU EATEN LUNCH?**

She didn't have long to wait, **YES, I HAD LUNCH WITH HOWARD**

**OK, JUST CHECKING**

**I COULD USE SOME COFFEE, I PROBABLY ATE TOO MUCH AT LUNCH AND I AM A LITTLE TIRED.**

Alex smiled, she had eaten lunch with him a lot, over the last few weeks, and she knew he never ate too much, he watched his weight.

**I'M GOING TO THE CAFETERIA NOW, SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET ME, I'LL BE THERE, HONEY.**

Alex looked at her text, she had put '**HONEY**' at the end without really thinking, and now she was staring at it. She couldn't do it so, she erased the work '**HONEY**' and hit send.

**OK, SEEN YOU IN A COUPLE MINUTES.**

Back in New York City, Penny said goodbye to Nancy and made arrangements to meet her at dinner tomorrow, Penny would be staying with Nancy, at the hotel, for the next three days, starting tomorrow, while she worked. The trip back to Michael's home, hear Princeton, when very fast, Penny and Michael catching up Leonard on every detail that happened that afternoon. The amount of money that Penny was being offered, really surprised Leonard, and Penny bullied Michael into stop acting like a relative and more like a lawyer and billing her. They got into a heated argument, as only two people could, who loved each other, and Michael finally gave in to Penny (Leonard knew he would) and agreed to bill her as long as she accepted the family discount. They were all in good moods and laughing when they picked up Dawn from the house and went out to dinner, Leonard chuckling as Penny repeated everything to Dawn, during dinner, that she told Leonard on the drive back.

Dawn and Penny talked again all night, since Dawn had to work most of week, the girls had to get all this visiting in during the evening. They made plans to all have dinner with Nancy tomorrow in New York City and Dawn planned to get off a little early so could take the train up to the City and they could eat at an early enough time. Michael had the week off at Princeton, because they were on break now, between semesters, sometimes being a professor was great when he needed time off. Michael was going to spend time with Leonard, while Penny modeled the second half of the week. They were in bed that night before 11 PM, to get some sleep, tomorrow would be busy.

Penny had just cuddled up to Leonard in bed. "Sweetie, are you sure, you are not upset about me working this week?"

Leonard gave her a small smile. "I want to explain this so you understand my feelings, so listen to all I say before you jump to a conclusion, okay?" Penny nodded. "When you are happy, I am happy, always. I find great joy in making your happy, I could spend my live just doing that and die happy. I am also very protective and possessive of you, I want you around all the time, so I don't like to share you. You being pregnant with our baby girl only makes me worse when it comes to be protective and possessive. Honey, I want you to be happy, I want you to be able to do all the stuff you want in life, I don't want you to have regrets that you gave something up to be with me. I said before there may be difficult times in doing it and this is one of those difficult time, I just need to adapt. But I want you to do this, because you want to do this, and I fully support you and I enjoy how happy it makes you. Do you understand what I'm saying."

Penny nodded, her eyes were wet, then she kissed him, deeply and long, and after a little while she separated their lips but stayed nose to nose with him. "Honey, you always make me happy. I'm possessive and protective of you too, I guess that will always be how we will be together, so yes I understand." Penny was talking very quietly, "I love you with all my being." Penny was rubbing her nose on his and her eyes were glazing over, her voice getting lower and her breath hot and quick. Penny moved her face so their cheeks touched, her teeth gently biting his ear lobe as she whispered in his ear. "I'm yours Honey, only yours." She then lifted her head of his shoulder and kissed him, their tongues starting something that they both knew their bodies would finish.

Leonard was very gentle with her, he seemed to know exactly how she wanted to be treated, he always seem to know that now, whenever they made love. Penny use to control the love making when they first got back together, but now Leonard had all the control, she was just putty in his arms, and she loved it, Leonard had become amazing in bed. She now lay, after their love making, wrapped in his arms, she couldn't seem to get close enough to him and as he squeezed her a little tighter, she tried impossibly to get closer to him, she fell asleep a few moments later.

The next morning, Leonard, Penny and Michael, got up early, got dressed in business attire and headed to New York City for their meetings with the remaining two major networks. Michael had a little surprise for them and explained something he had done while they were still in California, he had convinced both networks that they should also pay for Leonard's silence, so now, in addition to the money each network was settling with Penny for, they were going to give Leonard, one million each for his nondisclosure statement added to hers. Michael had set everything up and both meetings went quickly, one before lunch and one after, Michael had reviewed and approved each of the documents beforehand. The one big difference from the previous contract with he other network, was that Penny and Leonard got their money that day, the money was wired as soon as the contract was signed. Then finally done, after the afternoon contract signing, Penny took charge of both Michael and Leonard, herding them into the car to the train station, Dawn should be arriving shortly from Princeton.

Penny had a plan, so when they picked up Dawn, at the train station, she had the guys drive them to Bloomingdales, her and Dawn had some serious shopping to do. Leonard and Michael, getting shopping bag carrying duties for over an hour, before they were scheduled to go to dinner with Nancy. Leonard and Michael, never had been so happy to go on a dinner date, when they got back control of the girls and let them know it was time to go.

The dinner turned into both a pleasant meal and a little bit of a business dinner for Penny. Nancy had been working with the company's advertising department and had all the information for Penny's modeling the next day, she also told her what to expect. Leonard, Dawn and Michael, listened intently with Penny, all of them interested in what Penny was going to do tomorrow. However at 8 PM it was time to break up and for Leonard, Dawn and Michael to head to Princeton, with Penny staying in New York with Nancy. Leonard and Penny left the group to have a few minutes by themselves, out of earshot.

Once they were off in the corner, Penny grabbed Leonard and held him tight, him leaving her, going back down to Princeton, felt so real to her now and she was having difficulty.

"Sweetie….." Penny was breathing hard and was having trouble keeping the tears in, "…..I don't like this."

"Penny what's wrong?"

"Honey….I just don't…..I want…I'm suppose to sleep with you. I'm your wife and I am suppose to sleep with you."

"Penny are you going to be okay?"

"No, I'm beginning to think this was a mistake, I don't want to be here without you."

Nancy, Dawn and Michael looked over to where Penny and Leonard were standing, they all could see Penny was upset, there were a couple tears falling down her cheek. Nancy was especially worried, Penny had told her all about her husband, she was obviously very in love with him, she had also gone through a lot, and she was a newlywed, she didn't want to leave him, it was so evident on her face. There was only one solution.

"Do you think Penny's husband would stay with her here. I changed rooms into a two bedroom suite, so Penny was going to have her own room anyway, so they could have privacy."

Michael smiled, he had seen Leonard put a overnight bag into the car trunk when he put Penny's luggage in there. "Maybe."

Leonard was trying to give her some confidence, "Penny, you know you have to do this, this is your dream."

Penny pulled herself tighter, "I need you honey. I don't think I will be able to sleep without you and you know that's not good for the baby."

"Okay, but we'll have to see if we can get a room together."

Penny's head shot up, "Really! You're going to stay with me?" Leonard nodded.

"I love you so much." Penny started to kiss Leonard face.

Michael smiled again, then looked at Nancy "I guess he is staying the night." Nancy and Dawn smiled.

An hour later, Michael and Dawn where half way home, while Penny was in the hotel room, living room taking about tomorrow's schedule with Nancy. Penny could hear the sound of the shower going in her room, it made her feel relaxed, because she knew she would be sleeping that night in the arms of her husband.

**SORRY NOT TOO MUCH EXCITEMENT THIS CHAPTER, BUT IT MOVES THE STORY DOWN THE ROAD TO THE END, SO IT WAS NEEDED.**


	105. Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Penny woke up Thursday morning feeling really good, except for having to go to the bathroom, and Leonard got up with her and Nancy. Leonard ordered room service for them all, when they were ready to eat, and they all sat in their robes, having a relaxing breakfast. Penny had it much easier than Nancy, it was like when she did the pilot before, she just had to get clean, put her hair in a bun and put some casual clothes on, after they ate, the people at the photo studio would make her up and fix her hair, plus they would have plenty of clothes for her model. While Nancy was getting ready, Penny gave Leonard a long kiss goodbye, it was especially nice, since she didn't have to worry about lipstick or makeup to ruin.

"Sweetie are you going to be okay here alone today?" Penny was looking into his eyes, trying to be very serious, she felt bad leaving him by himself all day.

"Yes, I have some work to do, plus I think I will go out and buy a tailored suit, if they can have it ready by the time we leave. New York is suppose to be great for getting suits."

"Really!"

"Yeah, if I am going to be a department head, I should have more suits, don't you think?"

Penny smiled, "My Professor stud muffin." she then kissed him again, then she stopped, thinking for a minute.

"Okay, what are you thinking about?"

"Leonard, will we have to go to more parties and things when you are a department head?"

"Yes, I think so. Is that okay with you."

"Oh yes, I love those formal parties, especially when I get to buy new dresses and shoes."

Leonard chuckled. "Then what were you thinking about?"

Penny got a little smile and bit her lip. "Well if you are going to more formal events, shouldn't you buy a tuxedo, instead of renting one all the time."

Leonard thought for a minute, "That sounds like a good idea."

Penny then gave him a big smile. "Sweetie, could you get one of those simple black tuxedos, that I have told you makes you look like James Bond."

Leonard chuckled, "I thought this was for formal parties at the university…" he then whispered, "….not so you can become a Bond girl and have sex."

Penny blushed, and whispered back, "I have always wanted to be a Bond girl, so if you get one of those, I'll make sure you will feel like James Bond."

Leonard chuckled and Penny giggled, giving each other seductive looks then kissing. Nancy watched them for a second, they were really cute together, and suddenly Nancy missed Steve and wondered if he would like to come to New York for the weekend. However now her and Penny needed to go. "Penny, I'm ready." Penny and Nancy left a few minutes later.

Leonard took his time getting ready, then worked for an hour sending emails to Alex, on the work he reviewed. It was now 9:30 AM and Alex wouldn't be in till 11 AM, New York time, so if she worked on the email comments he sent her, he would not probably hear from her till at least 1 PM, east coast time. Leonard decided it was a good time to take a walk and check out some men's clothes stores and see if he could get the tuxedo Penny wanted.

Penny's day was not as relaxed, no sooner than she got to the photo studio, she went into makeup, spending over an hour getting her hair done and makeup on. Then she put on the first of the outfits she was to model, had a makeup touch up and ended up in front of the photographer to start. The photo shoot immediately started to go bad, Penny was not a professional model, many of the photographer's instructions did not make sense to her, so after a while, it ended up, his assistant would just stand out of the camera's view, telling Penny what the photographer wanted. This only slowed up the shots and pissed off the photographer, that Penny soon realized was a little bit conceited and full of himself. By the time lunch came around, Penny wasn't happy and Nancy knew she was having a rough time of it. The afternoon turned out worse, the photographer now additionally complaining that Penny was taking too long to change.

During a short break, Penny looked at the assistance, "What is wrong, I'm changing as fast as I can."

"Professional models, will change quickly in the studio, when they model different outfits." The assistance said.

Penny looked at her in disbelief, "I am not undressing in from of him or anyone."

The rest of the afternoon, was long, tense and tiring for Penny, also they didn't finish till after 6 PM so she was exhausted. No sooner that they were done, Penny went to her dressing room to change, the makeup person had left already, so she would have to wear her hair and makeup to the hotel. Penny was dressed, in her street clothes, when she heard the shouting, through the walls, the photographer was yelling at Nancy.

"I don't care who the stupid cow is, she completely useless."

Nancy was trying to calm him down, "Please she is just new at this, give her some time."

"Time! We should have been done two hours ago, if I give her any more time, we'd be still shooting here tomorrow. You are her agent, tell her to get her act together." The photographer then stormed off, leaving Nancy standing there, hoping Penny hadn't heard him. But as she looked around, she saw everyone there was looking at her.

Penny was leaning, her ear against the door, she had heard everything, and she felt like crying. However she was mad too, so she decided no one was going to see her cry, if she needed to cry she would cry with Leonard, not these assholes. Penny counted to ten, then left her room, walking straight to Nancy.

"I'm ready to go, if you are, Nancy." Nancy just nodded. Penny remained quiet all the way to the hotel, keeping the tears back with her anger.

"Hey you." Leonard greeted her and smiled at his wife's return. It only took a couple of seconds of looking at her, to realize she was upset.

"I'm going to wash this makeup off." Penny then separated from Nancy and headed into the bedroom, gently taking Leonard's hand, letting him know she wanted him to follow. Penny closed their bedroom door and went directly into the bathroom, turning on the shower. Penny then turned to Leonard, tears in her eyes and put her head on his shoulder whimpering. "Leonard it was horrible."

Penny talked for about 10 minutes, then started to undress, her hands were shaking and she was having trouble, so Leonard took over and undressed her. Right towards the end of taking off her clothes she started to unbutton his shirt, so he undressed and joined her in the shower. She either hung onto him or laid against him the whole time, she was starting to relax being with him and he helped her wash her makeup off and relax. They spent a half hour in the shower and when they were done, Penny was extremely worn out, so she got on her pajamas and robe.

"Sweetie, I am really tired, do you mind if we just stay here and eat room service and just watch TV." Penny's eyes were begging Leonard.

"Of Course, Lets look at the menu." Leonard put on his pajamas and robe too and they both went into the living area of the hotel suite.

Nancy, was a little surprised they were ready for bed at 7 PM. "You guys are probably not going out to eat."

"Sorry Nancy, I'm really tired, so we are just getting room service, I'm really sorry, I just want to lay around for a little bit and go to sleep early."

Nancy nodded, "No problem, I'm going to get something at the restaurant, see you later."

About 20 minutes after Nancy left, their orders of cheeseburgers and fries, with milkshakes arrived. They ate in silence for a little while watching a sitcom on the TV, Leonard waiting for Penny, he could tell she was mulling over a decision and as soon as she had idea what she wanted to do she would talk to him. She always talked to him now, so he didn't have long to wait.

"This was not what I expected it to be, Honey."

"What part of it?"

"All of it, I guess. Well maybe not all of it, but the important parts."

"You want to talk about it." Penny smiled and nodded.

"Well I have to admit, part of it is my fault, I am not a model, and I'm stupid to think, I could just walk in and do it."

"Honey, your not stupid."

"Okay then naive, over confident, arrogant, one of those. I didn't know what I got myself into. However the other part is the photographer is an asshole, who doesn't care about anyone, and treats everyone like crap."

Leonard knew she had already decided, she was just going over it with Leonard and with herself. "So you don't like doing this, I gather. What else is involved?"

"I want to be a professional, and that means taking the good, along with the crap and this is definitely the crap. I can't not do this, I signed a contract, I need to honor that if I want to be in this business. It is just a pain in the ass."

"So tomorrow you are going in again." Leonard put his arm around her.

"Yeah, I have to." Penny cuddled into his arm then turned to face him and kissed him, slowly moving her head away so she could talk again with him, "You have no idea, how good it makes me feel to have you here when I come back. It is like all the stress disappears after being with you for a little bit." Penny kissed him again.

This kiss lasted longer, and Penny had pulled herself tighter to him, finally letting him go a little after their kiss. Leonard smiled, "Well there are fringe benefits to being with you too, you know."

Penny giggled, then kissed him again, they ended up just sitting on the couch kissing, talking and cuddling, not even looking at TV anymore. However Penny was very tired and Leonard could see it clearly, even though she was trying not to seem obvious. It was only 8:30 PM, but he knew she needed to go to bed and get a really good long rest for tomorrow. So after she broke away, after one very long kiss, Leonard stood up and grabbed the room service tray to put outside the door, then took Penny's hand and led her to the bedroom. She didn't resist or complain, she just got ready for bed, then crawled into Leonard's waiting arms, she was asleep a couple minutes later.

Nancy had a quiet dinner in the hotel restaurant, too quiet, way too quiet, the being alone was getting to her. Being around Penny and Leonard, just make her feel more alone, seeing them together just made her miss a man, she missed Steve. She had been going out with Steve, off and on for a couple of months now, it was casual, but she liked just being with him. They weren't love with each other, but they seemed to like each others company and Nancy thought maybe that was a little part of love, she didn't know. She sat at her table, with her coffee in front of her and a small desert, when she decided to get her phone.

"Steve Hansen here, I can't get the phone, please leave a message." his voicemail came back.

"Hi Steve, It's Nancy. I'm in New York City, and was just wondering what you were doing." Nancy thought that was about the stupidest message she ever left, she sounded like a school girl, so she immediately hit end. She then sighed, well she better get use to being her by herself, so she laid her phone on the table and grabbed her fork to have a taste of the famous New York cheesecake she always heard about. She was just taking another bite, when her phone started buzzing, making her drop her fork. "Hello?"

"Hey Nancy, I was cooking a steak on the grill and couldn't get your call in time. I missed lunch, so I am treating myself to an early dinner. What's up?"

Steve had made steaks for her once, he would put a special coating on them, making them delicious, her mouth watered just thinking about them. "I'm just eating dinner by myself and was thinking about you."

Steve chuckled. "Ah, so our last date left an impression."

Nancy smiled, they had spent the night together their last date, it sure did leave an impression. "It was…okay."

She was teasing him and he knew it. "Only okay, so I'm not the man of your dreams? Then why did you call me?" he had a big smile on his face.

When he said 'man of your dreams' Nancy felt a hitch in her heart, and now suddenly did not want to tease him. "Steve are you doing anything this weekend?"

The seriousness of her tone, made Steve become serious, "No, the college in on break and I am just goofing off. Why, what are you thinking?"

"Steve, I'm here with your friend Leonard and his wife Penny, Penny is doing some modeling work and like I told you, I am her agent, so I am helping her. I'm here till I leave on Monday, so I was wondering if you would maybe like to come here for the weekend. I'll cover the ticket." Nancy now bit her lip, thinking 'Please say yes."

"Leonard and Penny are there with you. That sounds like fun, so what time do I leave."

Nancy smiled, suddenly she didn't feel so alone anymore, "I'll make reservations for you tonight and text you the schedule. What time can you leave?"

"I'm off tomorrow, so early, maybe I can get there before dinner."

"That would be perfect. So let me get those reservations and get back to you."

"Good, talk to you later, Nancy."

"Bye Steve." Nancy hung up feeling happy, she now needed to get that reservation fast, so she spent the next 30 minutes looking up flights and eating her cheesecake.

Penny got up at 6 AM, feeling rested, she had slept soundly in Leonard's arms, but now she had to face another day like yesterday, so the relaxed feeling she had in bed with her husband, was leaving quickly. She did her morning routine and heard Leonard call room service for breakfast, at least she would get to spend a little time with him before she had to leave to that hell they called modeling. She was ready, sitting with Leonard, drinking juice and eating a bagel with egg, cheese and sausage, when Nancy came out, a smile on her face.

"Leonard, Penny, Steve is coming in this afternoon."

Penny looked at Nancy confused, "Steve"

"Steve Hansen, my friend." Leonard explained.

"Oh, that Steve." then Penny thought for a minute and giggled, Leonard had told her about Steve and she knew Nancy had dated him.

Nancy now blushed at Penny's comment, then sat down to have some coffee and breakfast, with them, they were all becoming friends.

The day was a carbon copy for all of them, Penny had a horrible time, the photographer was still an ass, Nancy tried to smooth things over, and Leonard worked on his laptop in the hotel room. The only difference was at 4 PM, Steve Hansen showed up at the hotel and joined Leonard in the room.

"Hey Steve, I haven't seen you for a while, I hear you have been busy." Leonard chuckled.

"Sorry I couldn't be at the wedding Leonard, but I couldn't get out of that Australian thing, it had been scheduled a year in advance. Did you get my gift?"

"Yeah thanks and don't be sorry, I understand and so does Penny."

"Thanks. How is Penny, I heard rumors about all that stuff that went on, is she okay?"

"If you want to know if she is completely okay, then no, but she is mostly okay and getting better each day. The doctor said it will just take some time, but the worse is over."

"That's good to hear."

"So what is this with you and Nancy." Leonard gave Steve a sly smile.

"It's funny but I actually like her. She is fun to be around with and she is…..well you know…..experienced."

"Too much information, I'm a married man now, so I don't think about those things with other women."

"Really you don't think about those things."

Leonard chuckled, "Really, I don't, I really love her, she is the girl of my dreams, I want no one else. I can't see being with anyone else ever, I don't want anyone else, ever."

"Wow, you've got it bad. She does seem very nice, I admit, and I'm glad you two are happy together, Leonard. I guess now I'm a little jealous, I would like to have what you got."

"Nancy's not it, I gather."

"I…..I don't know. Do you think she is too old for me?"

"She doesn't look much older than you, and she is a very beautiful woman, gorgeous even, not as beautiful as Penny, but she is getting there. Do you want kids?"

"No, never wanted them, you know, she doesn't either."

They talked for the next couple of hours, till almost 7 PM, until Leonard realized what time it was. "I wonder where Penny is?" Leonard got out his phone and hit 'one' on his speed dial, after a couple moments he got a sour expression on his face. "Voicemail."

"Let me try Nancy." Steve called. "Hi Nancy. Leonard was trying to contact Penny…..oh, okay….right see you in a few." Steve looked at Leonard, "They're in a taxi, on their way here, they had a real long day and Penny is asleep in the cab."

"I'm going down stairs to meet them." Steve decided to join Leonard.

Fifteen minutes later, Leonard was riding up the elevator, with Penny tucked into his arm, her head on his shoulder. Steve and Nancy standing by them, quietly watching. When they got to the hotel room, Leonard took Penny into the bedroom, for a shower and to change into pajamas, then ordered room service for them again. He stepped in the suite living room. "Steve, Nancy, we're going to stay in again tonight."

Steve and Nancy had freshened up while Leonard got Penny ready, so they just told him to have a good night and then went to dinner. They took the elevator down to the restaurant.

"Penny, looks wore out, what were you guys doing today?"

"She was modeling maternity clothes all day."

"Really, getting your picture taken will do that to you."

"She has to get fixed up for the photos for over an hour, then she puts on a outfit, gets anywhere from 50 to 100 pictures taken in different posses, then quickly changes and does it all over again. It doesn't help she has never done this before and the photographer is a horrible person, who rushes her and then belittles her."

"Oh, sorry to hear that." Nancy just nodded.

Penny fell asleep waiting for the food, and Leonard hated to wake her, but she really needed to eat. "Honey, please eat a little."

Penny just rolled over in the bed, towards him, "Um….okay." She then grabbed a pillow to cuddle, made a disgusted face, then reached for Leonard, never opening her eyes. She never ate or got up that night, and Leonard ended up not leaving her, once she had him.

Alex was just getting off work, and really didn't feel very happy, as a matter of fact, she wasn't happy at all. She hardly saw Raj this week, their schedules were completely out of sync the whole week, and they didn't see each other in the evening, because things had gotten awkward. They had basically lived together for several weeks, but now they just seemed like friends again, and she was noticing Raj was finding it harder and harder to talk to her. Things were going back to where they were before, over a month ago, and she realized she didn't want to go back to that time. She got out her phone and started to text.

**RAJ, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TONIGHT? WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME TO MY PLACE AND EAT DINNER?**

She had just gotten to the parking lot and sat in her car when her phone buzzed.

**WHAT TIME?**

Alex smiled and text him back, she almost wanted to tell him to bring his toothbrush, but then it would ruin the surprise.

Saturday for Penny was the same for Penny and Nancy, except for one thing, they both knew it was the last day of hell with the photographer. Penny was actually getting better every day and they finished at 4 PM on Saturday, Penny worked hard to keep on schedule that whole day. They were finally done and Penny very tired, sitting in the studio for a few minutes before she changed, to get her strength. Nancy soon came over, and Penny knew it was time to change and leave, so she stood up to go to her dressing room, but the room started to spin, she felt faint, she had to sit down again. Now she felt it, her head felt light, she knew something was wrong. "Nancy, I feel sick."

Nancy had been looking at Penny, as she walked up, she had seen Penny try to stand then collapse back into the chair. In that short few seconds, she knew something was wrong with her, and now she looked a little pale, even under the makeup. "Penny do you feel like you can walk?"

"Maybe, can you help?"

Nancy helped Penny up, she had to support a lot of her weight, Penny was having a lot of trouble walking, this made Nancy really struggle to hold her up. However, one of the equipment assistants saw them, as he moved some light stands, and rushed over to hold Penny on the opposite side as Nancy, allowing her to get Penny seated into her dressing room.

The young man looked at Penny with an extreme worried face, which made Nancy even more worried, "Why are you looking like that?"

"I'm sorry, it's nothing." the young man turned to go.

Nancy followed him outside the door, but not far enough that she couldn't see Penny, then grabbed his arm, whispering, "Please tell me what is wrong, I'm not sure what to do."

The young man thought for a second, then nodded, "My older sister was pregnant, like Mrs Hofstadter, and she got sick, then lost the baby and a lot of blood. Please understand, I'm not inferring that is what is happening to her, but it's just that..….if it were me, I would get her to the hospital….NOW."

Nancy was scared, "Let's get her there now. Please help." The young man nodded and helped Nancy get Penny to the elevator and into a cab, for the trip to the hospital.

Leonard and Steve had run errands that day, to pick up Leonard's new suit and tuxedo, and during that time they caught up on some of the stuff, that went on in their lives, over the last few years. It was now late afternoon and they were back in the hotel room, waiting for the girls to return, and resuming their conversations from earlier. Leonard had been explaining everything that happened since that day in the cafeteria with Steve, since Steve had been involved in that part, resulting in the events that followed. After Leonard finished, Steve just looked at him a few minutes, Leonard knew Steve well enough to know he was thinking about what Leonard had said.

"You two really love each other. I have never heard of two people more in love."

Leonard nodded, "Yeah, she is the one."

Steve nodded, "I am really happy for you, you deserve it."

"Thanks" then a comfortable silence came over them, until Steve chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Leonard looked at him confused.

"That thing with the graduate student, it's not funny, but what is funny, is things like that happened to you before and you were clueless then too."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Leonard, don't tell me you already forgot how many times, I tried to set you up with girls."

"No, I haven't forgot, you were a good friend, in college."

"Do you really think, that I just walked up to girls and asked them if they wanted to date my nerdy friend. Do you think I told my girlfriends that I would only date them if they hooked you up? Buddy, I'm good, but not that good."

"I don't understand, what are you saying."

"Leonard, half the girls I set you up with, were girls that asked me if I was your friend and if I could introduce them to you, and the girlfriends of my girlfriends who thought you were cute and wanted to meet you. I'd watch girls flirt with you and you would not even pay attention, I thought maybe you were just too picky, because you never really talked about it."

"No, that's not what happened….is that what happened?" Leonard was now really confused.

"Yeah, buddy, that's what happened. I guess I should have talked to you about it more, I'm sorry."

Leonard sat there a few minutes, just thinking, a frown on his face, until slowly a smile formed. "No, you have no need to be sorry. It would have been just a distraction, I was meant to be with Penny, so if you look at the big picture, it all went perfectly and I have no regrets."

It was then that Steve's phone rang, "Hey Nancy…..yeah he's here….okay…okay…alright…..I will…we will…..yes I can remember that…..okay…..we will leave now, see you soon." Steve looked at Leonard, his face filled with worry. "Leonard, we need to get to the hospital, there is something wrong with Penny."

"What! what's wrong, is it the baby, how bad is she?" Leonard was now standing over Steve, getting more and more upset.

"Calm down, let's grab a cab and I'll tell you all Nancy told me." They then both rushed down to the lobby and out the doors. Steve was so happy there was a cab waiting outside, Leonard was becoming more upset by the second.

Leonard practically ran into the hospital, just registering Nancy's presence in the waiting area, while he went to the front desk, and up to the nurse. "I'm Dr Leonard Hofstadter, my wife is here, Penelope Hofstadter, what is wrong with her, I need to see her."

"Yes she is here, but, that's strange, they haven't updated her condition, I can get Dr Freeman to talk to you." She looked up to find Dr Hofstadter was no longer in front of her, he was walking through the emergency room doors to the treatment area.

Leonard walked through the treatment area, looking at each bed, his heart felt like it was ready to explode any minute. She was in the last bed, and when he saw her, he thought he would die that second, his hands started shaking and his knees felt weak. Penny was laying on her back, with her hands folded over her chest, her eyes were closed, she was pale, he couldn't tell if she was breathing and there was no one around trying to take care of her. He walked slowly towards her, tears falling from his eyes and when he got close he gently touched her hand, only able to get out, in a whisper, 'Penny'.


	106. Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Penny's eyes shot open and her mouth turning to a smile, then to a worried look, Leonard was in tears, his face looked terrified. "Honey, I'm going to be fine, don't worry." The doctor told her that her blood pressure was up and she had not been eating enough, so they were just having her relax, so they could take her blood pressure again, then release her. Her treating physician, left to call Dr Rogers to talk with him for a minute, since Penny had Rogers cell number, so she had just closed her eyes to relax, while waiting for him to return.

Leonard was shocked she was okay, the grief was now going away, but it being replaced by something else, he was having trouble breathing, he had been in a middle of a panic attack before she spoke. He reached in his pocket for his inhaler, but it wasn't there, he had left it in the hotel room and now his lungs weren't getting any air. Penny quickly realized the look on Leonard's face and was frantic, she didn't have her purse, Nancy had it, and it was obvious he needed his inhaler, which he didn't have.

"Help us please." Penny yelled, and a couple nurses immediately came running. "He is having an asthma attack and he doesn't have an inhaler." Penny informed them.

"Okay, we got it." they quickly moved Leonard to a bed across from Penny. Then got him inhalation medicine for his asthma, but most normal asthma medicine contained lactose and possibly small amounts of milk proteins, and the emergency staff and Penny, didn't know Leonard used a special inhaler with medicine that did not have these ingredients because he had a bad reaction to them before. Lactose in his stomach caused him discomfort and gas, lactose in his lungs and his trachea caused a more serious reaction, swelling that closed off his airways. It was only a couple minutes before he couldn't breathe again, his trachea constricting now from not having the right medicine, and they couldn't get a breathing tube down the closed off entrance to his lungs. The staff had no choice, they were loosing him, a doctor got a scalpel and cut Leonard's throat, doing an emergency tracheotomy, Leonard needed oxygen, and as they put the tube in, to give him the air, Leonard's heart stopped.

A nurse came running out of the now closed curtain, "CODE BLUE, WE NEED A CRASH CART!"

Penny couldn't believe this was happening, they were killing Leonard, Penny was now terrified, her blood pressure was going through the roof. She had been sitting on the edge of the bed since they took Leonard away, now she had to be with him, her mind told her she had to save him, and she took a step off the bed. The whole place started spinning and her legs wouldn't support her, she was falling, trying to stop herself, trying to grab the nearby bed, which helped reduce her fall, but didn't stop the top of her head from hitting the metal frame cutting her and like any head cut, sending blood down her face, clothes and floor of the hospital, and when she hit the floor, the only thing she could think of, made her scream out "LEONARD!"

Dr Freeman returned to this chaos, when he entered the emergency room, a crash cart flew by him as he entered, going to the curtain area across from the blonde pregnant patient he was treating. He thought something serious was happening, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw in the treatment area he had just left a few minutes ago, the one he had left the young pregnant woman resting. She was on the floor, blood on her head, clothes and all over the floor, also she looked like she was trying to crawl while she kept saying 'Leonard'. He quickly rushed over to her, to see what had happen.

"Are you all right Mrs. Hofstadter?" He started to check where the blood was coming from.

Penny was on the verge of going hysterical, she grabbed the doctors face in her two bloody hands, and screamed into his face, "HELP LEONARD!"

Freeman stared at her thinking 'What the hell is happening?' "Who is Leonard?"

Penny turned his head so he was looking at the curtained area, where the crash cart went, "Help Leonard, he is my husband, they are killing him."

"He is being taken care of, let me help you."

"HELP LEONARD!" She let him go and tried to crawl again.

Freeman saw she had a cut on the head that didn't look too bad, but she was obviously hysterical, she was crazed over her husband. He grabbed a gauze pack and put it in front of her face. "Hold this on your head and I promise to check on him."

"Help Him." Penny pleaded and held the gauze to her head.

Freeman went across the walkway and into the curtained area, just in time to hear 'CLEAR', and the young man's body jump. Then the music every emergency medical person likes to hear, came across strongly, normal sinus rhythm. The medical team gave each other high fives, the main doctor, Freeman's friend Tom, letting out a sigh.

"How is he Tom?" Tom looked to see Freeman behind him. "He is looking good, he just lost oxygen for a little bit and his heart just stopped for a few seconds, but it is strong now, so I bet there is no damage. He is going to have to stay with us a few days though. You know you have blood on your face and shirt."

Freeman nodded. "Thanks, his wife was going nuts."

Tom looked at him in surprise, "His wife?" Freeman pointed to across the walkway. Tom was still surprised, "The blonde pregnant woman is his wife? Hell, we must have scared the crap out of her." Freeman just nodded and left.

There was a nurse trying to get an unmoving Penny back into the bed, when Freeman came back. "Mrs. Hofstadter, your husband…Leonard is stable, he is doing okay."

"I want to see him." Freeman looked at the nurse, surrender in his eyes. "Do we have wheel chair?" The nurse nodded and went off to get one.

The medical personnel just stood their in bewilderment, as Freeman wheeled in the blood covered blonde to their patient, tears running down her face, as she grabbed the man's hand on the bed and kissed it. "I love you Leonard, don't leave me. Please don't leave me."

The only way they could get Penny away from Leonard, was to put her in then next curtained area and leave the curtain between them open, so she could see him. She then quietly laid there, while they put stitches in her head and cleaned her up, the whole time she never took her eyes off her husband. They kept Leonard in the emergency room until all the allergy information was obtained from his doctor and he was stable to move, so both of them were in emergency for the next four hours, Penny refusing to leave Leonard's side and the medical personnel not wanting to move her because it would seriously spike her blood pressure.

The next problem they had was when they tried to transfer Leonard to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Penny wouldn't let them take him without her, so she was wheeled up there with him to his room. This hospital was on of the few, that was set up for relatives to stay with loved ones in ICU, plus the nurses were all sympathetic to pregnant Penny, so they fixed up a bed for her, so she could stay with him and got her hospital scrubs to wear. Penny refused to leave Leonard's room, so a nurse helped her wash up and they gave her toiletries to freshen up. That night Penny finally fell asleep, her body couldn't stay awake any longer, but her hand was on Leonard's the whole night.

Penny woke up about 6 hours later, when she felt someone tugging on her hand, she was disoriented, but soon realized where she was and why, and her head shot up. She was scared and immediately looked at Leonard, to see his eyes looking back at her, he was attempting to smile at her, it melted her heart. "Sweetie, you're awake, are you in pain? Do you want me to get a nurse?"

Leonard couldn't talk, they had a pressurized air system plugged into the hole in his neck, forcing air into his lungs, so he just shook his head slightly. He then mouthed, 'I Love You.' to Penny, which made tears come to her eyes.

"I love you too, honey." She moved her face to his and gave him a kiss. The nurse came in a second later.

"Good morning Mr. Hofstadter, Mrs. Hofstadter, good to see you awake. Are you in any pain?" Leonard brought his had and made a sign that told her he was only in a little pain. "Do you want a pain killer?" Leonard slightly shook his head. "Well that's good. The doctor will be here in a hour or so and look at your throat, if it fully open, they might pull the respirator off and let you breathe on your own, we'll see okay." Leonard nodded.

The nurse then turned to Penny and whispered. "He is doing very good Mrs. Hofstadter, he is young and strong, I wouldn't worry." the nurse then took Leonard's vitals and left them alone.

Penny then got close to Leonard again, and put her face against his. "Leonard promise me you will never leave me, promise." She felt Leonard's head nod.

Time actually flew by for Leonard and Penny that day, Nancy and Steve visited for a little while and brought clothes for Penny, to change into. Dawn and Michael came, Michael turning a little pale, when he saw his brother, but full of encouragement when he heard Leonard was doing fine. Dawn even talked Penny into getting a shower, while Michael stayed with Leonard, Michael being the only one she trusted with Leonard. They were gone for almost two hours, which made Penny distressed, but when she got back to Leonard's room, he respirator to his neck was gone and all there was left, was reddish skin and a sort of tube. Leonard still couldn't talk, so when she came back in, he smiled.

Penny went immediately to hug and kiss him, and he moved aside so she could crawl in the bed with him. Penny was chased out of his bed every time a nurse came to take vitals, but just got back in when the nurse left. The nurses finally gave up, after the doctor told them Leonard was doing great and would be moved the next morning, so they just ignored her in Leonard's bed the rest of the night. Leonard was moved into a regular room Monday, and late Thursday he was released to go back to California, his flight first thing, Friday morning, and an appointment with Dr Frank Oswell that afternoon, for follow-up. Penny guarded Leonard the whole time out of the hospital, she had quickly learned how to clean his tube and take care of his neck, she wouldn't leave him out of her sight, the whole time till she saw Dr Oswell and even then she went to the exam with him.

Leonard could barely say things, so he just listened to Frank, "Leonard, I can't see anymore swelling or a reason to keep the tube in, so if it okay with you, I would like to remove it." Leonard looked at Penny, then at Frank and nodded.

Penny and Leonard waited in the hospital emergency room for a few hours, until Frank felt they weren't very busy and would not have a disturbances, then took Leonard into a treatment room, and with a couple of nurses, had him lay down while he removed the tube and place a surgical dressing over the hole in Leonard's neck. Leonard felt a little shortness of breathe, like Frank told him he would, but soon he was breathing normal again, a big smile on his face.

"Leonard, that went very well. You should be able to talk now, but you might have to put your hand on you neck dressing to prevent air leakage. Just don't put a lot of pressure on it and really try not to talk too much the first few days. Your neck should heal naturally, but if the hole doesn't close, don't worry, we'll just stitch it and close it, it is not something to worry about. I'm going to give you an antibiotic shot now to prevent infection, I'll show Penny how to change your dressing, then you can leave, okay."

Frank then showed Penny how to change the dressing, she picked it up quickly. "Penny no showers for him for at least a week and I will stop by the apartment, in about a week to check on him. Now, you sit down for a few minutes, so I can check you blood pressure, or I'm not letting either of you go."

Penny obeyed for once, Leonard giving her a look, that told her she better, and she sat for fifteen minutes, then had her blood pressure taken.

"Okay, you are normal now, but I want you and Leonard to rest this week, stay home and stay in bed. I have a list of foods for Leonard to eat, and I want you to eat normal meals too. Understand." Penny nodded, and Frank smiled, "Okay you two, get out of my sight, I have real sick people to deal with."

Penny giggled, "How is Cheryl, Frank?"

Frank's smile dropped, "Um…okay."

Penny got concerned, "You guys didn't break up, you both seemed so happy."

"No, we didn't break up,….I sort of asked her to marry me."

Penny's eyes went wide, "You did, when, she said yes, right!"

Frank's smile came back, "Yes, the night of your wedding, I got sort of caught up in the moment, and yes she said, 'Yes'."

"That is so great Frank, I'm so happy for you." Penny gave Dr Oswell a big hug.

Frank then felt a pat on his back and turned to see Leonard putting his hand on his neck dressing, "Good". Frank just smiled and told him 'Thanks'.

**I HAVE TO GO ON A TRIP THIS WEEK, SO MY NEXT UPDATE MAY BE A LITTLE LATER THAN USUAL, BUT I WILL UPDATE AS SOON AS I CAN. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS.**


	107. Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Penny drove them both back to the apartment, driving as careful as she could, having Leonard with her made her nervous. She had almost lost him last weekend, and it had shook her to her very core, the feeling of never having him again terrified her. She even blamed herself, she wanted to do the stressful photo shoot, that put her in the emergency room, and she was the one who scared him and started the chain of events that lead to him almost dying. It hurt her to look at him, the bandage on his throat, the suffering he went through, because of her, he wanted her to get her dreams, and it almost killed him.

They pulled into the apartment building parking lot, and Penny held him as they walked into the building, to the elevator. She was so happy the elevator worked, so that Leonard didn't have to huff and puff up the stairs, he could just take a relaxing ride to their floor. Once safe inside the apartment, Penny lead him into the bedroom and turned to give him a kiss.

"Sweetie, why don't you put on your pajamas and get comfortable and then I will cook you something to eat."

Leonard, through hand movements, head movement and a couple of words, said he wanted to help her. However Penny was going to have none of that, she wanted him to lay around, relax and heal, she planned to baby the hell out of him. She just wanted to do things for him, to make up for the guilt she felt and for the love she had for him.

"Honey, please just do what I say, you know if you get me upset, my blood pressure will go up, so don't stress me, okay."

Leonard didn't want to upset her, she was also suppose to take it easy, so he just nodded, doing everything she told him, and got ready for bed, his pajamas on and then his robe and slippers. It became very obvious to Leonard how clinging Penny was with him, she helped him put on his pajamas, she never really did that before, and she was always rubbing her hands on him, craving the need to touch him. He loved her closeness to him, her touch, but he was also worried, she seemed so worried about him, when she shouldn't be, Frank told them he would be fine and Penny should be taking care of herself more.

Penny made Leonard lay on the couch with his pillow and a blanket over him, she wanted him in her sight at all times, it was the only way she could relax. She went into the refrigerator and encountered her first obstacle to feeding Leonard, they had been gone for three weeks and there was no fresh food, since they had not gone shopping, since they just got back and went straight to see the doctor. Penny felt like crying, Leonard needed to eat, he had lost some weight in the hospital, and she had no food to feed him. She didn't know what to do, she wasn't going to leave him to go food shopping, but he needed to eat, she tried to come up with some idea on what to do, when there was a knocking on her apartment door.

Penny, couldn't understand who would be there, Howard and Bernadette were the only people they had seen, since they picked them up at the airport, the whole day, except for Frank. She went to the door, peaked through the eye hole, then quickly opened it, a big smile on her face. "Hey guys, this is a surprise. Leonard look who is here." Leonard sat up, smiled and waved at his friends.

Howard, Bernadette, Raj, Alex, Amy and Sheldon all came in carrying take out food and shopping bags for groceries. Penny could just kiss them all and she made an attempt to do that, as she thanked all of them for their kindness. She was even more happy, when Amy and Bernadette started to take things out of the grocery bags, both of them had researched the types of foods Leonard could eat, after they took his throat tube out, and they had bought those foods for Penny, so she could take care of him. Penny had tears in her eyes as she hugged her two best girlfriends, Penny felt so lucky to have friends in her life like these people, they were her family. The girls made food for Leonard, and soon everybody was sitting around, eating and talking like they had done before, except this time it was in Leonard's and Penny's apartment. Penny got comfortable in one of the overstuffed chairs, she had bought, that were perfect for couples to sit in, with Leonard, and it made her so smile to see the twinkle in Leonard's eyes, because his friends were all there. Their friends even kept Leonard in the conversation, asking him things he could nod yes to or shake his head no to. They talked and ate for almost an hour, then the girls picked up, making Penny stay seated next to Leonard, and everyone had post dinner beverages and talked some more.

Penny was cuddled up to Leonard's left side, and he had his arm around her back, his left hand in her right hand, both hands laying on their baby. Penny loved how his hands always seemed to go to her baby bump, he was so happy she was having their baby and made sure she knew it every day, which made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Penny listened to her friends and talked when she had something to say, but most of the time she just paid attention to Leonard, she wished she could just will him better, because she knew she was going to be worried sick over him the next few weeks. However right not being cuddled up against him was the most wonderful feeling she could imagine, so she just laid there against him in contentment, just enjoying the night.

Alex was tucked under Raj's arm on the other of the oversized chairs, Penny had in her living room. Raj's arm was over her shoulder and his hand was gently caressing her hair, it felt so soothing to her. Raj and her were officially boyfriend and girlfriend now, and Alex was enjoying the feeling of having Raj around again, instead of the lonely feeling, she had immediately after they came back from the wedding. They had had a long talk, and decided to try having a relationship, so now Alex was seeing a lot more of Raj and she was enjoying that more than she could imagine.

Bernadette was enjoying herself, she was still basking in Penny's gratitude for what her and Amy did to help, she always enjoyed helping her friends. She was also enjoying everyone being together again, especially Sheldon and Amy being back in the group, the incident with Sheldon, slowly being accepted by everyone and everybody letting go of their grudges, even Raj, who didn't say anything bad to Sheldon all night. She also liked that everyone had someone, and everyone seemed so happy with their special someone, like she felt with Howie, as she sat in his lap, his arms around her waist holding her close. However she was especially happy that her prayers had been answered and Leonard and Penny were happy again and Leonard was getting well.

Sheldon had been watching what he had been saying all night, even though he had a lot to say, Amy had made some good points about how he might be viewed by the group, right now, so he was taking her advice tonight. Since he was talking less, he began to observe the other people in the room, his mind was always working, but the more he watched the people the more he began to pick up things he never noticed before. He was use to Leonard and Penny being all over each other, it seemed now that they were married they were even worse in their Public Displays of Affection (PDA), Penny was under his arm now, close to him. Bernadette was in Howard's lap, next to Amy on the couch, she was leaning into him and he had his arms around her. Even Raj and Alex were stuffed into the oversized chair, Alex buried into his side, Raj's arm draped over her shoulder, touching her hair. Besides the obvious, contentment on the girls faces, the guys all seemed to be enjoying the girls so close, all of them were so comfortable and happy. Sheldon for the first time was wondering what he was missing, no one seemed the least bit concerned of germs, plus he was wondering, was him not holding Amy a serious violation of social convention.

Sheldon looked at Amy, she was sitting close to him, their legs were actually touching, funny it didn't bother him now, of course Amy was the most germ free person he knew, besides himself. He took a quick look at the other girls, there was a look on all their faces, that suddenly made him feel bad, he wanted Amy to have that same feeling and expression, he knew it was a hippy-dippy feeling, but he wanted Amy to be as happy as the other girls, he loved her. Sheldon made a decision, he slowly lifted his arm and put it around Amy's shoulders and gently pulled her against him. He was a little surprised how she offered no resistance to his pulling her close, and even put her head on his chest, her hair was just below his face, so close he could smell her hair. Her hair smelled like green apple, she knew he liked that smell, from Penny, and she had started using that shampoo for him, she did things like that for him. The smell was intoxicating, and he moved his face closer to her, pulling her a little tighter to him, she was so soft and warm, he felt her cuddle closer to him, it felt so good. He then did something without even thinking, his senses only noticing his girlfriend, he put his head down against hers and kissed her hair, while he gave her a little squeeze.

Amy was stunned, one minute she had been talking to Bernadette, happy Sheldon didn't flinch from her leg being against his, and the next she was cuddled against him, his face touching her head and he even gave her a kiss. The feeling of him holding her close was so amazing, it was better than she ever imagined, and for once in her life she was not jealous of the other couples around her, her boyfriend was holding her, because he wanted to. Amy tried to move a little closer to him and he pulled her in closer, she couldn't believe it, she closed her eyes, hoping this moment would never end.

Bernadette had probably been the only one to see what Sheldon had done with Amy, because Penny was cuddled up to Leonard and had her eyes closed, and Raj and Alex where cuddled up and looking at each other in a very friendly manner. Amy had been talking to her, when she saw Sheldon put his arm around her and pull her against him in a cuddle, Amy had immediately stopped talking and moved in a little closer, which Sheldon seemed to enjoy, now Amy had her eyes closed and a very content expression on her face. The whole room was very quiet, but not awkward quiet, sort of a happy, full of love quiet, it just felt so warm and nice to Bernadette, and she turned and gave Howard a gentle kiss. There was something else that had been on Bernadette's mind all night, it was pregnant Penny, her and Leonard seemed so happy they were having a baby, even right now their hands were together resting on her baby bump, and she had seen Leonard put his hands on her bump many times which only made Penny happy and smile at him. She had never thought of Penny with a baby, but here she was pregnant and extremely happy, and it really made Bernadette wonder if she was missing something. She could see Howard be as happy as Leonard was and him acting the same, but would she be as happy as Penny, Penny seemed to glow with happiness.

Penny's gentle snores made Bernadette realize she needed to round up everyone and leave Penny and Leonard, so they could rest, besides it was after 9 PM and they had been there over 3 hours, which was long enough. The last half hour had been real quiet anyway, Howard talking quietly to Leonard, while Sheldon split his attention between them and Amy, who he seemed to be touching a lot. Bernadette had everyone up, when Penny woke up and got up to apologize to her friends.

"Penny, don't worry, we should have left earlier, you guys are still on New York time so you bodies think it is after midnight now. You two need to get some rest. I'll call you tomorrow afternoon, okay. And remember if you guys need anything call me or Howie, anything, okay."

"That goes for me too, Bestie. Anything you need just call. If you put together a grocery list, we can stock you up this weekend." Bernadette nodded to Amy's offer.

"Thank you guys, I love you all." Penny then hugged everyone, even Sheldon, who of course stiffen up a little.

After locking their door, Penny lead Leonard to bed, checking his dressing and making sure he didn't have a food in his throat and that he had no mucus for her to clear. They both got ready for and went to bed after Penny's little medical exam of her husband, that Frank had trained her to do. Previously Penny had been sleeping with her back against Leonard's chest, which was very comfortable for her as her tummy got bigger, but she couldn't bear to do the now, she was too worried about him, so she fell asleep facing him, close enough that she could hear his breathing, the sound of his steady breathing soothing to her, which eventually lulled her to sleep.

The car drive home, Bernadette was deep in thought, she kept going over the most important decision in her life and whose results could make her husband extremely happy. Marrying Howard had been an easy decision, she loved him, but having a baby, scared the crap out of her, and as she got ready for bed, the thought of it weighed heavily on her mind. Bernadette looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't get her mind off a baby, since she saw Penny tonight and the looks Leonard gave Penny and their hands both resting on Penny's baby bump. The more she thought of it, the more she wanted that, she knew Howard would be just as happy as Leonard and she wanted to experience what Penny was going through, she actually realized that she wanted to be a mother. Her and Howard hadn't had sex all week, they had been both working late and both of them had been tired, so she had not even bothered to take her birth control pills, she now looked at the pill container, and couldn't bring herself to take one out, because she knew her cycle and she knew she was ovulating, if she had sex tonight her chances of getting pregnant were high. Bernadette unbuttoned her pajama top and looked at her flat belly and sighed, she wished she had a baby bump, she wanted to be pregnant, tears started to form in her eyes. Howard was waiting for her in their bed, she had been cuddling him all night, she knew they were going to have sex tonight, she wanted him, but now she wanted more, she wanted him to plant his seed in her. Bernadette took off her pajama top, then her bottoms and finally her panties, turning out the bathroom light and walking out to her dark bedroom. Howard's back was turned towards her, so she crawled under the covers, till her nude body was against him, kissing the side of his face, which made him turn around and take her in his arms and kiss her deeply, but only for a short time because as he ran his hands on her back, he suddenly realized his beautiful wife was naked.

"Honey, …um, …you're not wearing anything."

"Howie, I'm ovulating, make love to me, put a baby in me."

"Honey,…are you serious." Howard was stunned, but he was hoping she was serious.

Bernadette kissed him, "Howie, I have been off the pill a few days, my body is ready, I want to have your baby, make love to me, my darling."

Howard quickly stripped off his pajamas and took his wife into his arms ever so gently, he suddenly was afraid to do anything that could hurt her or make her uncomfortable. He kissed her and then gently caressed her, treating her as the princess, he always thought she was. She was so beautiful to him and he felt so unworthy of her, and the thought of her giving herself to him, to carry their baby, made his heart swell.

Bernadette didn't know, if it the decision to have a baby, her husbands gentle caring touching of her, her wanting him all night or just the thought of what they were doing, but her desire for him was so strong, that every one of his touches on her body sent shivers through her and made her want him more. Bernadette felt the night was magical, Howard was so gentle yet passionate, she was putty in his arms, and just when she needed him so badly, he entered her, making her scream in ecstasy, her climax so intense, it draining all strength from her body. But that wasn't the end, Howard's joy in the purpose of their love making, made Bernadette's rapture repeat two more times, until she felt like jello, completely exhausted, little tremors in her body still teasing her nerve endings. They both fell asleep shortly afterward, the night being successful as one of Howard's "Little Soldiers", joined with one of Bernadette's eggs, forming the beginning of Howard's and Bernadette's future son.

The next week for Penny and Leonard was probably the most relaxing of their lives and Penny especially enjoyed every minute of it. Penny babied the hell out of Leonard, she cuddled and kissed him every chance she got, did not let him out of her sight for a second, tended to his every need and just loved him. They would sleep late every morning, then lay in bed and cuddle for another hour or two after that, many times just laying there with both their hands on Penny's tummy, waiting for the baby to kick. Then they would finally get up to have brunch, since it was always too late for breakfast, and Leonard would put kisses on the back of Penny's neck as she tried to make them something to eat. After they ate, they would watch TV, read comic books or play video games in the afternoon, everything usually broken up with cuddling and kissing in-between.

The video game sessions, had turned out to be a lot of fun between them, Penny decided to cheat in every competitive game and in role playing game, she tried to have her character have sex with Leonard's character in every place in the game, that the software would allow. It was so bad, that Leonard showed her on the game forum, where they had a separate topic about where and when other characters had come across "Love Angel" having sex in the game. However, all this lead to was Penny, trying harder to find new places to seduce Leonard and made it more frequent. They only way Penny would advance up a game level was to find new places to take her man.

The competitive games were different, Penny could win every game of 'Halo' with Leonard, but she decided to tease him and cheat to win every other game with him. She would get in his lap and block the TV, start kissing him when he was winning, and do all sort of things to keep him distracted so she could win. The problem was, Penny could not beat Leonard, to save herself, when they played 'Mario Carts' and Leonard wouldn't let her forget it. He would tease her on how a great driver he was and she wasn't, then he would ask her about how many tickets she had gotten (he had only ever gotten one), and basically drive her nuts that she couldn't beat him. It was the end of the week by the time Penny had her plan in place, and she knew a way to distract Leonard, that was foolproof. That day they played a couple of games of "Halo", then to even things out, planned to play a couple of games of "Mario Carts". Penny told Leonard she had to go to the bathroom, and once there, changed into the clothes that she knew would win "Mario Carts" for her. Penny put on a very thin cotton sun dress, with spaghetti straps, that was very loose fitting and barely kept her pregnancy engorged breasts contained, then she only added some shear tights, that she got from Fredrick's of Hollywood, that were crotch less. Penny then walked back into the living room, pleased at the wide eyed look her husband gave her when she sat down close to him, as close as she could get. She even giggled inside, when she noticed him blatantly staring at her ample bosom, and felt a little sorry for him when she took him out of his trance to ask him if he was ready to play.

The game started out completely one-sided, with Leonard still managing to be far ahead of her, even though he was looking at the TV screen half of the time and Penny's cleavage the rest of the time. Finally, Penny put phase one of her plan into effect, she moved her shoulder a little so that her dress strap fell off of it, as it slid down, it exposing more of her breast, and it didn't stop until almost all of her breast was exposed, including her nipple. Leonard's car then crashed, and as she looked at him she saw why, he had stopped looking at the screen and was looking at her partially exposed chest. Pregnancy had been very good to Penny, making her breasts large, round and very sexy, of course none of this was lost on Leonard, who lusted for her even more. Penny now giggled at him and gave him an 'Oh Sorry' then pulled her strap back up to cover herself and continue the game. It wasn't long before Leonard was winning again, and Penny let the other dress strap fall off her shoulder and heard Leonard crash again, her smiling sweetly and giving him another 'Oh Sorry', so they could continue.

This game Penny played went on the whole time they raced each other, Leonard getting distracted by his sexy wife, crashing, and Penny innocently saying she was sorry. Finally they got to the last race, and Penny could not catch Leonard, even when she made him crash several times, it was time for phase two. Penny had to win this race to win the game, so she gave him both barrels, she let both her straps fall down, until the whole top of her dress was down to her waist, then lifted her leg to the couch, bending he knee, so that her dress bottom slipped up to her waist exposing her bare crotch, the effect was instantaneous, Leonard dropped his controller, his car crashed, and his lips smashed against hers. Penny didn't remember anything about the game after that, all she could remember was the pleasure of Leonard's tongue in her mouth and hers in his, the fantastic feelings of his hand and mouth on her body and the extreme pleasure as he manipulated her to two orgasms using only his hands and mouth. When she finally came back and her mind functioned again, she was in Leonard's lap, her dress bunched around her waist, her breasts pressed against his chest and her legs pulled up, she was flushed, damp and completely satisfied, and she almost cried when Leonard kissed he nose and whispered to her 'I Love You, Baby'.

The rest of their day, was usually Leonard's bath, then they finally got dressed, and one of their friends would stop by to visit for a few hours. Leonard's bath was something that they enjoyed every day too, especially after the first day, when Penny learned it was better to help Leonard get washed when she was in the tub with him. Penny soon found it very satisfying washing Leonard, so what started as Penny just washing his back and trying to keep his dressing dry, turned into Leonard just sitting there while Penny washed his whole body, then him helping her wash up and finally both of them sitting in the tub, Penny's back on his chest and their hands over her baby bump, just contently talking.

It was Friday now, and Penny was excited about their guests tonight since it would be Frank and Cheryl. Cheryl was bringing Lasagna, which Penny had eaten before, so she new it was really good, plus Cheryl was bringing something special for Leonard to eat, that Frank had gave her advice on. Leonard and Penny just got into their casual clothes when they heard the knocks at the door, and Penny practically flew to the door to check who was there.

"Welcome guys, it is so nice to see you." Penny invited Frank and Cheryl in and gave them a big hug.

"You guys are going to love this." Cheryl said smiling, and then her and Frank walked to the kitchen to put the bags of food they brought on the counter. "I want to heat the rolls for a few minutes, Penny, so if you don't mind, I'd like to use your oven."

"Of course." Penny hadn't seen Cheryl in weeks and it was nice to be around her old friend. She watched the eye contact between Frank and Cheryl, and she just wanted to squeal, they were so in to each other now, she never saw those kind of looks between Cheryl and her old boyfriend.

"Leonard, why don't I give your throat a little look, while the girls finish up the food." Frank and Leonard then went into the bedroom so Frank could check him out.

Penny and Cheryl talked, but Penny was only half listening, she couldn't get the worry out of her mind about what Frank would see when he looked at Leonard. Everything had been going fine, but she was still scared, the last week of having Leonard all to herself, felt like one of the best weeks of her life and she wanted so badly to have many more of those weeks with him. The more she thought about him the more she wanted to cry, her life was so wonderful now, she prayed nothing would happen to him.

"Penny are you okay?" The guys had been gone for over ten minutes, now and Penny had been getting quieter and quieter with every minute.

"Sorry Cheryl." A tear fell down Penny's cheek, and Cheryl then took her friend into her arms to hug her.

"Penny he is going to be okay, Frank said he is looking great, when he saw him last Friday." Then as if to confirm Cheryl's statement, Frank and Leonard came out of the bedroom, both smiling and chuckling.

Penny quickly wiped her eyes and went to Leonard, kissing him and then hugging him, whispering in his ear, "I missed you."

Frank looked at Cheryl and saw the seriousness in her eyes and then the little nod towards Penny, she gave him. "Penny, Leonard is doing great, he is doing better than great, he is healing better than normal. I was just asking him what he was doing to make him recover so fast and he told me it was all the love he was getting, that is why we were laughing."

Penny pulled up off Leonard's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Well Sweetie, if that is what it takes to get you better, then we are now putting you on a double dose of loving." She then kissed Leonard so passionately, that Cheryl smiled and whispered to Frank, 'Those two need a room', which made him chuckle.

The dinner and talking afterward, was extremely enjoyable for all of them. Frank and Cheryl, told them they had set a date, for a year from now, for their wedding, with Frank joking that it would give Cheryl a year to change her mind, since he ambushed her at the wedding with the proposal. Cheryl just shushed him, then kissed him deeply, that made them both blush when they finally pulled apart. They spend four hours together and the time flew by and it was almost 10 PM, when they finally said their goodbyes.

"Thank you guys for coming, it was wonderful having you here." Leonard nodded with Penny's statement.

"We love you guys, it was our pleasure." Frank nodded to Cheryl's statement.

"Oh, by the way, Leonard is doing fine, the hole in his neck is closed and is healing great, so you can go back to doing husband and wife things together." Frank then smiled and looked at Penny. "Just be gentle with him, don't break him." Which after he said it, made everybody break out laughing, as they said their final goodbyes and left each others company.

Penny closed the door, and turned to lean her back against it, while staring at her husband. A couple minutes passed, Penny staring at Leonard and Leonard getting more confused by the second, finally making Leonard a little uncomfortable and asking her 'Is something wrong?' Penny kept staring at him and then in a low sultry voice, said to him, "You're mine." Then she walked over to him and kissed him, long and deeply, finally separating to take his hand and lead him to their bedroom. She was going to be very gentle with him, but she still was going to make it memorable, as sly little smile forming on her face, as she undressed her man and herself.


	108. Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Penny had Leonard half undressed, when her mind overtook her lust, and reminded her how worried she was about him. The euphoria of him getting better, the constant need for him, due to her pregnancy, was now gone, cold reality taking its place. The fear of hurting him, now became the most important thought in her mind, and she became scared again. Her fear took over, she stopped undressing him and stood there staring at him, until his face turned into one of complete confusion, then worry.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Penny put her hand on the side of Leonard's face, looking into his eyes, then at his lips and finally at the dressing on his neck. Penny never told him about the nightmares she had when she slept with him in the hospital, the ones where he was gasping for breathe and no one was helping him. She could not get the picture of him out of her head, in the emergency room, at her bed, dying before her eyes as he tried to breathe, and he did die, they just were able to bring him back.

"Penny?"

Penny shook her head, to bring herself back from the horror running through her mine right then and she concentrated on looking at his eyes, his big beautiful brown eyes. She had so much grief bottled up in her it was starting to overwhelm her, she knew it wasn't good for her or their baby, she had to let go. Looking at him, made her understand, he was the one she trusted, the one she could be herself with, the one it was okay to cry on his shoulder for anything, he was her soul mate, her lover, her husband. Penny let go, the tears falling down her face, the sobs coming from her soul, she grabbed him in a hug and hung on to him for dear life.

Leonard, had seen her really upset before, he knew she had to get some of it out, and he knew the crying helped her do that, so he just held her tight like she held him and gave her time. It was always hard on him, when she was really bad like this, her body racked with sobs, her tears flowing freely, and he couldn't do anything, he just had to wait. Finally, her body calmed and the sobs turned to whimpers, the worst was over, and he waited for her to speak.

"Honey, please don't ever leave me." Her face was buried into is neck, her voice barely a whisper. "I can't do this without you."

"Baby, I won't leave you." He gently smiled and kissed the side of her head. "Besides, what can you not do without me."

"Live."

Leonard's face became immediately serious. "Baby, don't say that."

"Honey, you don't know how scared I was, you died almost in front of me. I need you. I love you so much. I can't live anymore without you. Honey you can't leave me."

Leonard felt her grip tighten on him, when she said those last few words, she was really upset. "Baby I'll do my best, I promise."

"Honey, you have to take care of yourself, you are responsible for us now, me and Sam, you can't leave us, never. Promise me that you will remember that, when ever you do anything."

"Okay, I promise, I will remember, I am responsible for you and Sam. Wait a minute, SAM?"

"Samantha, I started calling her that, but we can call her something else, if you want."

"No, I like it,… Samantha…..SAM,… I really like it."

They stood their holding each other tightly and Leonard knew there was more, she wanted to say. "Penny would you like to lie down?" He felt her nod on his shoulder.

It was a few minutes more before he got her to let go enough for them to lie down, even though she still held onto him. "Penny, what else is bothering you."

Penny looked at him, she was laying facing him, their noses almost touching, the tears were coming to her eyes again, she needed to talk before she lost it again. "Honey, I have another confession."

Leonard just nodded, unless she told him she was a serial killer, he was not really concerned about her past, he could accept anything.

"Honey, this is me, the real me, with my shields down. I'm not as tough as I let people think, I'm just a girl, that tries to hide her feelings, so I don't get hurt, and sometimes I'm even just a scared little girl, that runs and hides. It hurts so bad inside of me sometimes, I feel I can't go on, and it takes all I can do to go on. I don't want to fell like that anymore, I need to be completely myself with you, all of myself even the needy, clingy parts, I need to let go with you, I need you Honey."

"Of course, you know that I love you, you can be totally yourself with me and your not needy and clingy."

"Leonard, I am needy and clingy, you are just not seeing it to now, I've tried so hard to not admit, I was in love with you, because I knew it was different with you, it was forever. I knew if I committed to you, I could be hurt more than I ever been hurt before because, I think….I think I knew for years that you could be the one."

Leonard just stared at her, trying to say something. "I never imagined you felt that way. That you felt about love that way. That you felt about me that way."

Honey, I thought I loved Jake while in high school, that is why I let him do the bad things he did to me, get me drunk and then use me, I was too needy to let him go. Kurt took me away from Jake and I thought he saved me, and I thought I loved him, so he used me and I stayed with him because I was needy. I was so scared when I moved in across from you guys, I was so alone, you guys saved me, without you, I would have gone back to Kurt, in a month."

"Really!" Leonard was surprised, he had no idea.

"You guys were so sweet, I trusted you immediately, and suddenly things didn't seem so bad. Then you even tried to get my TV back, I sort of had a crush on you both after that, you guys were my heroes. The night of the Halloween party, you became my hero, and truly made it so I didn't need Kurt anymore for anything, I really had mixed feelings about you then, you were coming more than a friend, I wanted to sleep with you that night. Then Mike came along, and I thought maybe I loved him, I was clingy and needy, that is why we did things everywhere, I was performing for him, then he hurt me and you saved me again. By then, I knew we were more than friends, and that sort of scared me, I knew I could fall in love with you, and if I did and lost you, I know there would be no one to save me, so I tried so hard to be just friends with you, even pushed you away after our first date. I knew then that you were forever, Honey, that is why I couldn't commit to you for so long, I knew once I admitted to you that I loved you, I was a goner, I would never be able to let you go. That happened it Las Vegas."

Leonard just stared at her, he never knew about these feelings in her before, she had cared for him for such a long time, he never had a clue. "What happened in Las Vegas?"

"Everything was so wonderful, our walk, dinner, the show, but it was the dancing when it all hit me. I knew that I needed you forever, you were part of me, I just couldn't see my life without you anymore. If you had asked me to marry you that night, I would have said 'YES' with no hesitation, I was yours."

"I…." Leonard didn't know what to say, finally. "I thought we were having relationship trouble and I was concerned that maybe, we were going to break up."

"No Honey, you had me, I needed you so badly, I…." Tears started to roll down her face. "That is why it was so bad for me, I lost you and there was no one who could save me, but you."

"Baby, don't cry, it worked out, look at us." Leonard was now really feeling bad, she was ready to marry him and he broke up with her, how could two people have such bad luck in a relationship.

"Honey, I was so jealous the last couple of days on the boat, I didn't want you to leave the room, I felt all the women were trying to steal you away from me. I was ready to punch that woman in the jewelry store, and I'm not kidding, another minute, there would have been a scuffle. I am so ashamed, but that is who I really am, I can't loose you now, it is just not an option, I would die, I almost died that day in the hospital, watching you gasping for breathe and not being able to do anything. I had nightmares the whole next week, it….it terrified me." Tears were coming down her face again.

Leonard gently stroked her cheek, he always dreamed he would meet a woman who would be devoted to him, love him forever and only him. He never believed it would be someone like Penny, the girl of his dreams, his soul mate. He had to talk serious to her and reassure her not to worry and give her the comfort she so needed. "Baby, I think I understand, I will be careful, I will take care of you and Sam, I'll make sure I stay around for you both." He then pulled her into a hug and they laid there for a very long time, finally falling asleep.

The next day, they talked a lot, last night's talk opening new doors for them in their marriage, Penny was in Leonard's arms most of the day and their kisses were extremely intimate. The whole day, made Penny relax more and more, Leonard cuddling her and talking softly to her. A couple times she fell asleep and took naps in Leonard's arms, only to wake up to see him lovingly looking at her, a small smile on his face, that made her heart swell. That night she fell asleep with her back to his chest, wrapped in his arms, the first time she slept like that with him for two weeks, she got one of the best nights sleep in a long time.

The rest of the week, with Leonard, was even better than the last, because now Penny was more relaxed and she could do much more with Leonard, as long as she didn't break him. He was eating more normally and he was talking more, Penny was feeling like things were finally getting better for him and them. She still couldn't stop babying him though, she had gotten to like it too much, and she still really enjoyed being with him every minute of the day. Another nice thing about this week was now their cuddling and kissing usually ended up in sex, Penny's libido was on overdrive, she couldn't' get enough of her husband. It had actually worried her and she got the internet to check if too much sex for pregnant women was harmful to the baby, and when she found out it wasn't, she looked up the symptoms of nymphomania to verify she wasn't one. Finally, Leonard showed her sites on pregnant women's hormonal changes and how that translated to increased sensitivity and increased sex drive, then he told he she wasn't weird, just a normal pregnant woman. Penny then lost all her inhibitions, she was still very careful with Leonard, but they really did enjoy themselves, the whole week.

The one thing that spoiled the week for Penny was knowing next week Leonard was going to start working part-time at the university again. The thought of not having him there with her each day, just plain depressed her, she knew when he started leaving for work she was going to be a basket case. Having him around her the last couple of weeks, at their home, was just so wonderful, and she wasn't ready to let him go, even though she knew she had to. However since he was going to work only half days, Penny convinced him, that next week, he should go in at 10AM, so he could sleep a little late with her, then he agreed to her driving him to work and then after two hours of work, having lunch with her, finally letting her pick him up at 3 PM. She really didn't have to do much convincing, he had told her on the weekend he would just adjust to a clingy wife, because he loved her.

Towards the end of the week, Nancy called and ended up coming by on Friday, she had a lot of news to tell Penny and had to tell her about some work she had to do. Penny was still on contract with the clothes company and they wanted more photo layouts with her modeling their maternity line. The company was also talking about making a commercial with Penny, in the next few weeks. However, Penny had no intention of going back to New York, and she was not going to let any photographer stress her out again, she had almost lost everything that was important to her, and it wasn't going to happen again.

"Nancy, I can get two doctors, to provide them, that it is unhealthy for me to return to New York, and your remember, Michael put in the contract that anything that risks me or the baby voids the contract, so that is not happening."

"So you're done with them?"

"Nancy, I don't want to be done with them, really. I don't want to come off as a bitch. Can't there be a compromise. They make commercials here, they also have photo studio's here, they can easily rent a place here just as good as that place in New York, and besides shipping the clothes and a couple of people, how much more will it cost. Tell them I'll take a cut in salary."

Nancy smiled, "Okay compromise, I can work with that, anything else?"

"Yeah, two things, I am only going work 6 hours a day and if that is too much, I will only work 4 hours. The other thing is that photographer in New York is history, I will not model for him ever again. Tell them to send the assistant photographer, she is at least a human being."

"Okay I'll talk to them and try to earn my money. Buy the way, we'll keep the salary cut held back as a last resort, okay."

Penny smiled and nodded, "Okay."

"Penny the next thing on the agenda is, do you remember the director Ed Johnson and the producer Bob Martin?"

Penny nodded, "Yes I liked them, how are they?"

Nancy smiled. "They are fine and both wish you well. Penny, Ed and Bob, have an idea for a new show, about a group of college PhD's and a pretty blonde girl."

Penny looked at her is complete surprise, "You're, kidding?"

"No Penny, they are very serious, they really want to talk to you about it. They think it could be big. They even have a show name, "Beauty and the Physicist"

Penny giggled. "That is so corny. Sure, I love to talk to them."


End file.
